Char Hung Sut

My sincere apologies for not updating yesterday's post and for posting this without any text.  Tomorrow will be my last day at work before my upcoming trip to Southeast Asia, therefore, I should have time tomorrow night to update both posts. 

I thought I'd present the photos for your enjoyment.  Thank you for your understanding.

By the way, this one's for Clinton over there in California.  A displaced local who misses the ma tai soo from Char Hung Sut.

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It's been a while since I've been to Char Hung Sut.  I guess it's because I never really leave home early enough to get here before going into the office.  Today, I had a short break at about 9:00 am, and since it wasn't raining, I thought a short walk would do me good. 

Located in Chinatown across the street from Mei Sum Dim Sum, Char Hung Sut serves local-style dim sum.  Sneaking in one of the doors off to the side, you can see the folks here hard at work.  Looked to me like they were making some ma tai soo.

After walking through the less used entrance, I stood in line behind a few people waiting to order their food and others waiting for their orders to be filled.  If I had come at about 6:00 am, there would have been about 5 times as many people crowding this little shop.  That's how popular this place is.

Since I had agreed to pick up some food for a co-worker as well, I decided to get two of each of our favorites.  I ordered the following (clockwise from left) -- manapua (US$.85 each), pepeiao (US$.50 each), pork hash (US$.50 each) and the famous ma tai soo (US$.50 each).

The first thing I ate was the ma tai soo. 

I'm not really sure what is in it, but it seemed to be pork and water chestnuts (?) among other things.  The filling is a little crunchy, so I'm only guessing here.  The outer pastry is baked, and can be a bit flakey, but it's just a little "doughy" near the middle where the filling is and on the bottom of the pastry itself.  Nice and hot, this was delicious!  This is probably my favorite dim sum item from here.

This is the manapua.   

Steamed and filled with shredded pork, this is nothing like what you'd get in any other dim sum house around the country.  Manapua is a Hawaii original.  I'm not really certain of the origin of the word, but it's been speculated that it was taken from the Hawaiian words, mea (thing), 'ono (delicious), and pua'a (pig).  Not sure if this is quite the case, but I'll go with that explanation for now.

The first thing you'll notice about the manapua is the size.  Unlike traditional char siu bao, manapua are huge.  I would say that it's about 3-4 times larger than the char siu bao that is served in traditional dim sum houses.  The "bun" here is also different.  Soft, fluffy and a little chewy, this is best eaten hot.  The pork filling is lean and flavorful.

Here's the pepeiao.

Pepiao (Hawaiian for ear, or the name used for "wood ear fungus") is steamed and is filled with pork.  It got it's name because of it's ear like shape, although to me, it looks more like a pig's snout. 

Pork hash (not shown individually) is the same as siu mai.  It's steamed and has a filling of ground pork and other ingredients.  Both of these items are as good as you're going to get anywhere else in the state.

Char Hung Sut is frequently at the top of most people's lists for "best" manapua...I can't argue there.  This place has been open for more than 50 years, and the number of people that crowd this small shop every morning, are a testament to the great food and great value that it offers.

Char Hung Sut
64 North Pauahi Street
Telephone:  808.538.3335

Comments

[MBS]

Lol. Well great pictures of CHS, Reid. I'm getting hungry and I just had lunch. Commentary!!

PS: Have fun on your trip.

[claudine]

reid, you shouldn't apologise for posting such great pictures. life takes over our blogging mania sometimes, eh? have a great trip, be safe, and i hope you get to eat a lot of delicious food and take lots of photos!

[AugustusGloop]

Mmm... it's kinda fun trying to guess what everything is... but nah, we need your commentary.

Happy travels. Looking forward to the posts.

[Reid]

Hi MBS,

Thanks. I really wanted to take more pictures, but I got a little self-conscious. It happens every now and then. Commentary has been added. I love that word!

And thank you...I'll try! =)

Hi Claudine,

Thank you for that. I sometimes feel guilty for not updating as much, only because I feel the need to for some reason. I'm definitely going to have fun on my vacation. This one's been a long time coming.

Hi AG,

This is probably not the kind of "dim sum" (if you could call it that) that you are used to, but it is fairly common here in Hawaii. The ma tai soo is a specialty of Char Hung Sut and probably one of my favorites.

I'm sure to have a good time on my trip to Singapore. I'm hoping to make it over to Malacca and KL as well. My last food post will be on Saturday and on Sunday, I'll be posting a list of foods and shops that I plan to eat at. Hope you get around to checking it out. =)

[AugustusGloop]

You're right, I can definitely say I've never had this kind of dim sum before!

The pepiao definitely look cool. How do they make the shape like that?!? And hey, I was waiting for a cross-section shot of the pepiao (ok ok, we'll forgive you. By the time I eat my food after photographing it all, it's usually cold, so we'll let this one slide)

I've never been to Singapore ever. Or Malacca or KL. I'm depending on a virtual gastronomic feast until I do...

[Babyhippo]

Yup, you're right about the crunchy bits being water chestnuts in your "ma tai so"... They're called "ma tai" in Cantonese/Mandarin. =)

[MrsT]

Hey..Reid.. :)
Everything looked so yummy... especially the interesting .. Pepiao... :) I really envy you ....first for having the variety in Hawaii.. and secondly being able to eat anything.. for i'm diabetic.. :(

[David Adam Edelstein]

Oh, braddah, I'm both happy and sad I found your site... there's no way I can get dis kine grinds in Seattle. We have pretty good dim sum, but man, no manapua, nothing like these...

[Reid]

Hi AG,

I actually did have a cross section photo of the pepeiao, however, I thought the pig's snout one looked much more interesting.

You can believe that I'll be providing a feast for the eyes when I go on my trip to Singapore. The hotel that I'm staying at offers free broadband access in the guest suite until April 2005. Lucky me! I guess I'll be posting daily, if I'm not too tired.

Hi Babyhippo,

Welcome to my blog! =)

Thanks for that bit of information. The funny thing is that I haven't seen ma tai soo/ma tai on any dim sum menu here. Maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough.

Hi MrsT,

We do have a wide selection of food available here in Hawaii, and so yes, I guess that's good for us here. Sorry to hear about your condition. My dad was recently diagnosed with type II, although he doesn't let that stop him from eating certain things in moderation.

As for myself, I could never eat anything in moderation, especially if it's something that I like.

Hi David,

Thanks for visiting my blog!

I would miss the manapua too if I were so far away. Look at it this way, at least you have a reason to come home to visit every now and again, right?

[MrsT]

Hey.. donch be sorry.. i'm also type II .. and it doesn't stop me.. from living my life at its fullest.. and eating till my belly button is about to pop out.. hehhehe!!

[Robyn]

Hey Reid... (Ironically enough, my hubby's name is Reid too) Anyway, You'll see this when you get back from Singapore.. Sorry this is so late... But at The Mandarin, I recommend the: Schezuan Garlic Prawns, the House Special Noodles (tastes SO ono with the vineagr), Mogolian beef, Lemon Chicken.. There are so many things we order from there from time to time. Some things we just try for the heck of it.

Man, just thinking of this is making me hungry...

[Alice]

The Half Moons here are pretty good as well although I'm not sure on the pricing. Probably $.50 as well.

[Reid]

Hi Robyn,

Thanks for the tips on what to eat at the Mandarin. It's actually quite close to my apartment. If I have a chance, maybe I stop by sometime this week.

Hi Alice,

Thanks for stopping by my blog.

I didn't have the half moons there. I must remember them the next time. I should have had some of the chow funn too! =(

[Wilpo]

No need to apologize for the pictures,

Here in Columbus, Ohio I don't get 2 taste any of those food let alone see them.

Thank you for "watering" my taste buds and eye sight.

[Clinton]

Reid,

Thanks for the great review. Funny thing that I had dim sum here in Gardena last Saturday at the Seafood Empress. If you ever get back here to LA, you'll need to try it sometimes. Probably one of the best in the South Bay area. We had the ha gow (pepiau), half moons (fun gok), and siu mai plus other delicacies. Didn't get any of the manapua (char siu baos) though. Prices are a little bit higher than Chinatown but worth the convenience.

[Reid]

Hi Wilpo,

Thanks for stopping by and for leaving me a comment. Nice to know that I have visitors over there in Columbus! I'm glad you're enjoying all of the photos, have you ever visited Hawaii?

Hi Clinton,

Thanks for the information on Seafood Empress. I'm going to try and make a short hop to either LA or SF in May. If I do get to the LA area, I'll definitely try to visit! Thanks for the recommendation.

[D.J. Heart]

Actually, as I understand it the word "Manapua" should have been Mana Pua'a. Mana meaning energy force or power or life depending on how it is used in a sentence. Pua meaning a flower. Pua'a meaning pig, hog, swing or PORK. So, translated Mana Pua'a pork to subtain life or pork to subtain life force. Whereas, Manapua the flower of life's engery. You decide. Now Char Sui Bow is smaller in size but the ingredients are similar. Most Char Sui Bow "steamed type" are slightly open on the top. If one was to really look at the Char Sui Bow one might think that it is a flower bud coming into bloom, therefore the name Manapua. Punahou High School Hawaiian studies department. But when you think about it, what really matters is how great they taste. I must say the Char Hung Sut's pepei'ao and half moon are the best tasting in the state. I also enjoy their taro cake, rice cakes both layer and white. They also make a good dim sum made with mochi rice that is filled with a meat filling and wrapped it Ti leaf as well as that pastry dim sum with the meat filling.

[Reid]

Hi DJ,

Thanks for visiting my site!

It's entirely possible that what you're saying is true, however, I don't think that any of us will really know. I believe it's all speculation and heresay.

That said, you have some excellent points and I thank you for sharing your knowledge of the Hawaiian language and culture with me.

And like you, and many others, I enjoy the treats at Char Hung Sut as well. In fact, I would probably go there more often if I could. =)

Thanks for stopping by!

[Kyle]

You might enjoy a little essay we wrote about the differences in dim sum terminology between Hawaii and and mainland: www.keithpr.com/2jb/manapua.html

[Reid]

Hi Kyle,

Thanks for the link to that article. It was quite hilarious and so true. Are you and Keith still maintaining that website? I found quite a few of the older pieces to be very well written.

Thanks again!

[Kyle]

Reid,
We're still writing the column every month, but Keith (webmaster) has been busy with several projects, and so, the website hasn't been updated in awhile.

[Reid]

Hi Kyle,

Thanks for the update. I'm looking forward to reading more of what you have to say!

[Robin Tasi Mo'e]

Sooooooooo ono,
I have been enjoying CHS for over 30 year, and it's superior taste and quility has never changed. You have pick the perfect variety box starting with the large white moist Mana'pua (left),tender thick noodle like Pepiau (middle), dense deep Pork Hash and my favorite Crispy sweet Chop suey Cake (top right). This to me is a true slice of Hawaii's "Melting Pot" food experience. A must try when visiting Oahu.
Take it from a true Island boy.

Bib Boy Mo'e