Hawaii Books

Vegan Fusion World Cuisine: Healing Recipes and Timeless Wisdom from our Hearts to Yours

Mark Reinfeld, Bo Rinaldi

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 76 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Never thought vegan could taste so good!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

When my husband and I started following a plant based diet 19 months ago I never thought we'd make it. We borrowed about 10 vegan cookbooks from a doctor we know and most everything was awful. For a whole month I flat out did not enjoy eating. We then found 4 vegan cookbooks that were o.k. and I could finally enjoy what I had made.

Then, in March my husband stumbled upon Vegan Fusion. The cookie lover in me thinks the chocolate chip cookie recipe is worth the cost of the book in itself! Vegan Fusion is my "go to" cookbook every week. I have made quite a few recipes and all that I can say is, "YUMMMMY!". My 4 year old picky, "I just want a meat sandwich" daughter said of the split pea parsnip soup, "This is the best soup ever!" and had 2 helpings.

There are so many aspects of this book that I like. Of course the recipes are fabulous! Being new to the whole vegan scene, it has a lot to offer a novice vegan i.e. the legume cooking chart, tips on roasting everything from veggies to nuts, startling statistics on "global footprints" of the different diets people follow.

I live in a small town (<2,500 people) and I can find most of the ingredients at our local healthfood store. The only thing I'm sure I can't get locally is green coconuts. I guess I'll just have to go to Kuaui - oh, darn!

I recommend this book to every vegan and health conscious friend I know!

Editorial Review:

Vegan Fusion World Cuisine, a groundbreaking work that has won nine international awards, is a celebration of international gourmet vegan cuisine that introduces us to the simplicity of a vibrant, healthy lifestyle.

Much more than a cookbook, this artistic treasure contains stunning food photography, inspiring graphics, natural-food cooking charts and kitchen wisdom for all. A foreword by Dr. Jane Goodall highlights its aim to inspire peace and understanding amongst individuals, cultures and all who care about our planet.

Vegan Fusion World Cuisine contains 200+ sumptuous recipes from the award-winning Blossoming Lotus Restaurants, uniting cooking traditions from around the world. It's an all-encompassing guide to health, beauty and an inspired lifestyle. Mark and Bo hope to awaken people to the healing potential within themselves.

Best of the Best from Hawaii: Selected Recipes from Hawaii's Favorite Cookbooks (Best of the Best State Cookbook)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

A compilation of other cookbooks 2 out of 5 stars.
4 of 7 people found this review helpful.

I have very mixed feelings about this cookbook.

I gather from the introduction that this is one of a series based on visiting different states and putting together a cookbook to "preserve their food heritage". How the authors plan on summarizing the entire culinary experience of a state with such an interesting history, mix of races, and emphasis on FOOD is answered by what you get: a compilation of other cookbooks. So on the plus side, many of their sources are really good. (The entire Honpa Hongwanji series are great and are in my mother's, grandmother's, aunt's, etc collection. They're sort of dated, but have a lot of classic everyday food.) On the negative side taking a few recipes from other recipe collections gives you very little coherence, understanding of where that recipe came from (time period or heritage), or understanding of the ingredients. Plus, the selection of these recipes are just sort of strange. Spicy Garlic Eggplant and Pork (pg 128) and Spicy Szechuan Eggplant (pg 100) are basically the same recipe with minor changes from 2 different cook books. Several recipes are for poke, but the authors don't seem to realize they're related, or, at least, don't explain what it is. I have to wonder if they actually cooked these recipes at all or just leafed through the other books.

Pictures are chosen to be more atmospheric with tourist photos of the authors, scenic places, and some line drawings (not of the food). The photos of people in "native garb" (at tourist sites) also contrast with the recipes, which are largely modern pot luck sort of food. (In particular, there's a cringe-worthy vintage photo near the front that must be just for nostalgia's sake because no one I know in Hawaii would be caught dead looking like that.)

Besides the food, there are also little tidbits of information peppered through the book that are supposed to give you an idea of island life. My question: Who exactly told the authors that curry is often served at parties? What a strange generalization. They also commit the faux-pas in the preface of calling their friend a second generation Hawaiian. Hawaiians are like American Indians; you can't call yourself one just because you've moved somewhere.

So, there are definitely some good recipes in here. It's just that you stumble upon things that are just plain wierd if you're from Hawaii.

Editorial Review:

Want to... prepare the popular Huli Huli Chicken... bake delicious Coconut Macadamia Nut Crisps... learn all about cooking Oven Kalua Pig an dall the other traditional lu'au recipes? Now you can! This cookbook will introduce you to all these wonderful native dishes, plus many more. Scattered among the recipes are fascinating facts and photos that capture Hawaii's unique history and culture.

Over 300 favorite recipes from sixty-three of Hawaii's leading cookbooks make up this extraordinary collection. These contributing cookbooks are listed in a special section along with ordering information - a treasure for anyone who collects cookbooks.

Hawaiian Cookbook

Roana and Gene Schindler

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Hawaiian Cook Book Review 4 out of 5 stars.
21 of 21 people found this review helpful.

This book was really easy to use and didn't have a lot ofterminology or technique's that we're too "foreign" for usregular people. I have made at least a half a dozen different recipies out of this book so far. They have all turned out pretty well and had a lot of flavor. I am not a master chef by any means so I recommend this book to the simple cook!

well written but out of date 3 out of 5 stars.
15 of 16 people found this review helpful.

This cookbook written by the mainland-american manager of the now-defunct Hawaii Kai restaurant in New York City represents the epitome of fine Tiki Restaurant Dining in the 1970s.

This style of cooking is perhaps best characterized as take-out Chinese food served with a slice of pineapple in a hollowed-out pineapple-shell used as a container, eaten in a restaurant decorated with carved wooden tikis, bamboo struts and thatched huts.

Half of this book is dedicated to this genre, where the actual recipes are very similar or even identical (soy sauce, sherry, ginger, garlic) but the presentations are elaborately different with an emphasis on outlandish (flambee recipes etc). Since the average reader scarcely have time to cook dinner, the advice on food presentation hardly seems relevant.

In the time since this book was written, the chinese tiki restaurant cuisine has evolved to Modern French or American cuisine with Asian ingredients, and these are the books that you can buy from the likes of Sam Choy et al, and these are the dishes that you will encounter in the fine dining hawaiian restaurants today.

Yet, what has always appealed to me about Hawaiian Cooking, is the more humble homecooking (today known as "plate lunches") that evolved from the simple traditional dishes that the plantation laborers from Asia and their Hawaiian polynesian spouses would make. This included grilled meats with asian marinade, japanese style fried cutlets, some chinese style noodle soups, and sadly only a small number of "real" polynesian dishes like laulau, kahlua pig, lomi salmon, haupia, and poi (perhaps less than a dozen of such traditional unadulterated polynesian recipes have survived).

Half of this book does try to address this wealth of simple but authentic home cooked dishes. But that is clearly not the strength or emphasis of this book, and in fact I'm not aware of ANY hawaiian cookbooks that seem to do these dishes any justice, and your best bet at the moment is to search for recipes on the internet.

I think that in emphasizing the "new" and "high class" restaurant style cooking be it from the 70s or today's contemporary cuisine, the cookbook authors have missed out on the true wealth of home cooked hawaiian cuisine that people in Hawaii eat everyday and perhaps take for granted, but for the rest of us living outside of Hawaii, it would be a priviledge to learn those recipes.

Editorial Review:

Nearly 300 easy-to-prepare exotic recipes with tips on shortcuts, preparing ahead, substitutions, more. Recipes include: sea bass with pine nuts, Lomi Lomi salmon, passion fruit soup, watercress soup, stuffed chicken breasts in pineapple sauce, chestnut duck, island shrimp salad, Maui tangy sauce, Polynesian meatloaf, ko ko nut balls, much more.

Hawaii's Best Mochi Recipes

Jean Watanabe Hee

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Wonderfully Yummy! 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is a great cookbook for mochi enthusiasts! I LOVE this book. I have made the blueberry and strawberry mochi from this book. Some recipes are time consuming and some are super easy. Just depends on what kind of challenge you are up for. The reward is a yummy mochi concotion! So ONO!

Awesome book! If you like mochi you must buy it! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The recipes in this book are easy to understand and follow. They offer many classic recipes (daifuku, dango, anko mochi, etc.) as well as many twists (strawberry mochi, etc.) I've made strawberry mochi from this book a few times for Japanese people and they love it. Fun to make fun to eat!

Editorial Review:

What's chewy and moist, comes in all shapes and flavors, great for picnics, parties, office treats for coffee break and EASY to prepare? Why, it's a mochi dessert - always popular in Hawaii!

In this grand collection of mochi recipes, not only can you find traditional recipes and today's popular mochi desserts all in one cookbook, but also included are entrees, such as Siu Mai with Mochi Rice, Crisp Fried Shrimp, and Mochiko Chicken.

There is also a microwave section for today's busy lifestyle. The average microwave cooking time is around 10 minutes. Best of all, most mochi desserts can be prepared a day ahead and require no refrigeration.

D.K.'s Sushi Chronicles from Hawaii: Recipes from Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar

Bonnie Friedman, Dave

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

offers a wealth of knowledge and local hawaiian lore 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

Loved the ease of instruction in making sushi. Not hard to follow, well done. Also like the homespun family history. It is a great guide to not only sushi but everthing else in his style. A lot of fun.

excellent even for beginners 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.

For beginners, there's a nice introduction to different basic japanese foods and rolling techniques with pictures. There are recipes for sushi, and small and large entrees. I've been to one of the two Sansei restaurants on Maui and the recipes from this book definately cover some of the best things on their menu. The only minor change I could see to make it better is more information about using pre-made grocery store sauces instead of making everything from scratch.

Excellent food 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I've been to his restaurant in Maui and the food was fabulous. So good in fact that I bought this book. While I could use more examples of fish to swap for things only a Hawaiian can get I find the recipes so easy a beginner can use them to make some fantastic food. I highly recommend this book.

Best Sushi Book Ever 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

We purchased this book after eating at Sansei in Maui and Oahu our first time to Hawaii and love the book. If you have never eaten at Sansei you are really missing out. Chef DK has created an amazing menu. Everything is delicious. If you are heading to Maui or Oahu, make sure you put Sansei down as a "to-do" while you are there. On Sunday and Monday night they open at 5PM and everything on the menu is 50% off for one hour. You have to get their by 4PM or so in order to get in, but it is well worth the wait.

Chef Kodama and Bonnie Friedman share all of Chef Kodama's secrets and do a great job illustrating how to create traditional and contemporary Japanese cuisine. They explain how and why each ingredient is used and translate ingredients throughout the book so you don't have to keep looking up terms when trying a new recipe. The book is simple enough for beginners to follow, yet offers some contemporary (and slightly more complex) dishes for the advanced chef.

If you love sushi and want to start making it at home, by this book.

Hawaii Tropical Rum Drinks & Cuisine by Don the Beachcomber

Arnold Bitner, Phoebe Beach

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Between the drinks and the stories, it's a great book 5 out of 5 stars.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.

I've always been a fan of the Zombie. It's just a great tropical drink. When I decided that I had had enough of paying $7 for them at restaurants, and that I wanted my own at home, I looked up Trader Vic's recipe. It was okay, but it really was geared more for a sort of "Zombie Punch" -- where ratios were expressed in fifths (entire bottles) rather than ounces.

Later, I happend upon Suzanne Matczuk's Cocktail-o-Matic, which had a much more approachable recipe for Zombies. I began to make those, and was happy.

However, this year I spent two weeks on O'ahu. I became totally hooked on the atmosphere (one could say the entire island made a left turn at 1968, and has just sort of "lived tiki" since), the people, and the drinks and cuisine. So while I was in Hilo Hatties, I picked this book up on a whim.

I was totally impressed. Where I thought I would be getting a book full of touristy BS, I got a book with authentic (one of the authors is Donn's widow, these recipes were taken from his belongings) recipes for both drinks and food.

The drinks are quite palatable. Many of them (such as Beachcomber's Gold and Rum Barrel) are just classic. A couple are "out there" (such as Test Pilot), but you can really taste and feel what the author was going for. I feel I must mention the Zombie recipe from this book. Not only is it authentic -- the man invented the drink -- but we learn that it contained Absinthe! Also, that it was prepared at least a couple times with added glycerine. Wow. This explains the drink's somewhat evil reputation.

If all you got in this book was the drinks, it would be worth the price. However, you gain priceless insight into the culture, and into Donn himself. Of particular interest was the conversation between Donn and Vic about the Mai Tai. Additionally, the story of his shipping gardenias from hawaii (daily!) and his experience in the Army during WWII.

Highly recommended. I'd also recommend the Suzanne Matczuk book, as it is told in the same way (plenty of culture with the drinks), and it is instructional to see the difference in the drinks as she writes them, and the way they were originally... "prescribed."

Alan Wong's New Wave Luau: Recipes from Honolulu's Award-Winning Chef

Alan Wong, John Harrison

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Alan Wong's New Wave Luau is a glamorous book full of color photos that convey the complexity of his lush and exciting cooking. It is also alive with Chef Wong's passion for his Asian heritage and that of the Hawaiian Islands, where his restaurant has three times been selected Best Restaurant of the Year by Honolulu magazine.

Chosen Best Regional Chef for the Pacific Northwest in 1996 by the James Beard Foundation, Wong is a master of multicultural cooking. Called Hawaiian Regional Cuisine, his dishes fuse local ingredients and traditions with foods and techniques from Europe, Latin America, and Asia. Taking the succulent meat from whole Kalua Pig, pit-roasted luau style, he uses it in a risotto dotted with corn and crunchy water chestnuts, then enriched with truffle butter. He also features this smoky pork in nachos built on crunchy taro chips, topped with chile-spiked guacamole.

As you feast on the photos, it is almost possible to taste the artistic creations depicted, each one dense with contrasting flavors and textures. His Surf and Turf, for example, features grilled beef tenderloin and a Kona lobster tail wrapped around a scallop. They are served with a roasted potato topped with wasabi-spiked mashed potatoes. This potato sprouts leaves of tat soi, an Asian green, and spiraling antennae of fried linguini. Grilled marinated mushrooms and asparagus add to the plate, which is drizzled with a sauce combining cream, truffle butter, and soy vinaigrette. Then it is ringed with shining dots of basil oil and finished with a sprinkling of chives and diced tomato.

Lest this strenuous cooking intimidate you, it is easy to make Wong's Asian Guacamole flavored with ginger and sake, Five Spice Risotto rich with shiitake mushrooms, and Asian Ratatouille, unexpectedly enhanced with oyster sauce and sesame oil. Each adds immeasurably to a meal of grilled fish or store-bought roast chicken.

Anyone with an ice-cream maker must try the recipes for tropical Guava, Lychee-Ginger, and Mango Lime ice cream, and a quartet of memorably exotic, liquored sorbets. --Dana Jacobi

A Taste of Aloha: A Collection of Recipes from the Junior League of Honolulu

Junior League of Honolulu

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Aloha tastes just fine 4 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

Like all the Junior League Cookbooks, A Taste of Aloha from the Junior League of Honolulu is chock full of the kinds of recipes that people cook in their own kitchens. So, unlike books written by the celebrity chefs of Hawaii, this one is neither glamorous nor intimidating. Still, it is elegant in its simplicity, and completely authentic in chronicling everything from the pupus (appetizers) that Hawaiians like to serve with drinks before dinner, to the rich desserts made with macadamia nuts, coconut, and chocolate. Anyone who's been to Hawaii and longed to recapture the flavor of the islands in their own home will find straightforward and reliable formulas for the Ahi Poke, Kalua Pig, and Haupia that they enjoyed in paradise.

Great cookbook good recipes 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Try the coconut cake recipe. That is divine. All the recipes are good.

Roy's Feasts from Hawaii

Roy Yamaguchi, John Harrisson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Beautiful but Labor Intensive 3 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

Anyone who has eaten at Roy's will undoubtedly get excited at the prospect of making something out of this book. The layout alone will be inspiring with all the beautiful pictures of Hawaii and the food itself. However, novices beware, this is not cooking 101. There is quite a bit of prep for most recipes - sauces that need to be made requiring a multitude of ingredients before you even get to the core of the recipe - resulting in hours of work. I could see this being ok in a restaurant environment where many of these things are made in advance and put together on order, but for the haole home cook it is a little much. Additionally, I have never been that happy with the results of my labor. My husband and I are fairly good cooks and always look at each other as we ponder why it is just not as good as we think it should be. Maybe it is missing the view of Molokini, I don't know.

Editorial Review:

A feast for the eyes as well as the palate, this is the ultimate presentation of the exquisite flavors of Hawaii and the Pacific Rim. Boldly reinventing Hawaiian cuisine, award-winning chef Roy Yamaguchi emphasizes exotic seafood and fresh island ingredients, while borrowing techniques and flavors from European and Asian cooking. With favorites like Ahi Tartare with Crispy Polenta and Teriyaki Duck Salad with Candied Pecans and Papaya, this landmark book will help home cooks savor the tastes of the tropics no matter where they live.