Helena's Hawaiian Food

Hawaiian food is pretty simple and straight forward.  No fancy ingredients, and no special spices.  When I think of Hawaiian food, I think of only 2 places...today, I made a trip to the one that stands out in my mind the most, Helena's Hawaiian Food. 

Why do I remember this place?  Well, it was actually the first place that I had ever eaten Hawaiian food at about 27 or so years ago, and although the shop has moved once since the first time I was here, the food is still the same.  Helen Chock, owner of Helena's, has been in business for almost 60 years and is the owner/chef of first Hawaii restaurant to be honored with the James Beard Foundation's Regional Classics Restaurant Award in 2000.  Mrs. Chock, who's in her late 80s, still works at the restaurant daily...how's that for dedication?

Today, the restaurant is quiet.  There are a few groups of people eating here at 1:30 pm and a few tourists have just happened to walk in, mentioning that they had read about the place in the Zagat Survey.

After I'm seated, the waitress comes over to take my order with a smile and a glass of ice cold water in hand (thank you)!  Gosh...it's hot outside today!  Since I'm eating alone, I can't order too much (otherwise I won't eat it all), so instead of ordering something on the pre-set menu, I order dishes ala carte.

First, I start with a bowl of poi (small bowl, US$1.75). 

Poi is a staple of the Native Hawaiian diet, much like rice is a staple in most Asian diets.  Poi is made by first steaming, baking or boiling the taro corm/tuber and then pounding with water to produce poi.  There is a distinct taste that's very hard to describe, but other than that, there is very little flavor to this at all. 

Second on my list to order is the luau squid (US$2.75).

I know what you're thinking...what is that?  Well, squid luau, is squid that has been cooked with luau (taro) leaves and coconut milk.  That said, this is one of the best that I've ever tasted.  Smooth and creamy, with not too much coconut milk, but just enough to enhance the flavor of the luau leaves.  There were generous portions of melt-in-your-mouth squid to be found in this dish as well!

The last dish that I had is probably one that this place is most famous for, the pipikaula-style short ribs (small order, US$3.50).

Pipikaula is similar to beef jerky.  Traditionally, it's prepared by first rubbing strips of beef with coarse salt and hanging to dry until the outside is dry and the inside is still juicy (normally about 2 days).  Helena's makes the pipikaula-style short ribs in a similar fashion, hanging the pieces of short ribs over the stove in the kitchen to dry.  My guess is that right before serving, the short ribs are quickly pan fried to give it a bit of "crunch".  The outside was crispy, the inside moist and tender, and the meat had just the right amount of fat to make this a winner!  As far as flavor, this had just the right hint of salt, not too much and not too little!  Ahhhh.......

The meal is rounded out by a small serving of raw Maui onions, red alae salt (the red color comes from clay) and haupia (which is a coconut flavored dessert, similar in texture to a really firm pudding).

All in all, this was a simple, yet satisfying meal.  As I left the restaurant, I wondered why I don't come here more often.  Since I couldn't answer that, I guess that means that I will be here more often to enjoy more of this fantastic food!

Helena's Hawaiian Food
1240 North School Street
Telephone:  808.845.8044

Comments

[Renee]

wow, how fascinating! I've always wondered what "local" hawaiian food was like. thanks for the post : )

[Reid]

Renee,

Thanks. I'll be posting more soon! It's pretty much the kind of food you'd get if you went to a luau only I think home cooked, or the food from certain restaurants, is much better. I'll be posting more in a couple of weeks if not sooner!

[pinkcocoa]

hi Reid
wow. Hawaii has really interesting-looking food. Is the taro that you mentioned in poi the same with the "taro" in japanese?
hehe. The squid luau did send off negative message on first sight. It looks to me like a mixture of green curry and pureed spinach :p were you put off by the sight the first time you tried it?

[Reid]

Hi PinkCocoa,

I'm really not sure if it's the same taro that Japanese people use. I'll have to check up on that. The squid luau is actually something like frozen spinach (but more like collard greens) that have been cooked for a long time. It also has coconut milk in it. Actually, upon first sight, it looks kind of disgusting and a lot like baby food!

[FatMan Seoul]

Very interesting .... looks can be deceiving. I'm sure the poi and squid luau taste better than they look.

Hawaiians are famous for their BBQs too, no?

And taro = yam, yes?

[Reid]

Hi FatMan,

Well, poi is actually quite bland and tasteless, sort of like how rice is. The flavor is so subtle that you hardly notice it. Many Hawaiians that I know like to eat it when it gets sour, usually two or more days old. Some even like to eat it when mold starts to grow on top like scum (usually after about 4 or 5 days).

The squid luau is actually really good. It's squid and luau leaves (which is the leaf from a taro plant) which are cooked in coconut milk until tender. Plain cooked luau leaves taste a bit like spinach.

I don't believe that taro is the same thing as a yam. It is a tuber related to the Japanese araimo (dasheen), or bun long (Chinese taro).

As far as barbecues go, I don't think that Hawaiians are that well known for it. If you're talking about traditional Hawaiian cooking most of it was done in an imu (an earthen pit filled with hot lava rocks/coals).

[pinkcocoa]

okie. i gotta try this squid luau if ever i go to Hawaii. ;-) but i am not so sure about eating mouldy poi. i never know we can eat mouldy food and not feel sick. have you tried the mouldy version? sour version reminds me of yogurt. Hawaiian food looks really interesting. i wonder if there's any hawaiian restaurants in sydney.

i agree with fatman: looks can be deceiving. smells can be deceiving too. think durian and smelly tofu. it's yummmm to those who know how to enjoy them. ;-)

[FatMan Seoul]

Ya ya ... imu BBQ. Watched it on Discovery Travel Channel.

pinkcocoa, yeah .... durian and petai (smelly beans) in South East Asia, smelly tofu in HK, nato in Japan, mouldy cheese in Europe, all exquisite to some but nasty to others. :)

[Reid]

Hi pinkcocoa,

No, I can't bring myself to eat poi that's more than a day old. By then, it's already become just a tad bit sour. Look certainly are deceiving when it comes to food!

Hey FatMan,

I agree with what you said about natto and the like. There are just some things that take getting used to.

Never had fresh durian, but I'm looking forward to it.

[twobacas]

was in hawaii last week and planning to eat at sugoi but was closed so we ended up at young's fish market for lunch. have not seen a writeup on the place. very ono

[Reid]

Hi twobacas,

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I haven't had a chance to do a write up on Young's Fishmarket yet, but I will do so sometime this week. I'm having it for lunch on Monday (I think).

[ponyboyPDX]

went to maui for 10 days, went to old lahaina traditional luau on the 4th night, i heard really great things about this particular luau, and i went in with total open heart, i made a deal with myself to try everything, so glad i did. it was really fantastic, i tried everything from poi to lomi salmon, i even tried the ahi sushi, a total first for me. amazingly, all the food was so good, especially the kalau pork, which was cooked in an underground oven and is so tasty and so tender. after that first taste, it had this fat man still craving, all i could do was chase the taste. that's right, chase for that taste, for the rest of the trip. i found the fanastic pork dish again on the 7th day at da kitchen, i ordered the kalau pork and was once again completely satiated, i went back again the next day for another fix, but found that the place closed early on saturdays at 3pm, and was also closed on sundays, so sad. i did find the pork dish again once more before leaving on sunday, this time i had the good fortune to think ahead, and order one more portion to go for the plane trip home. i know this sounds like a lot of pork . honestly i'm not usually such a big fan of pork. generally, i eat pork about twice a month, usually in the form of bacon, or canadian ham. but, there was somaething just so good about the kalau pork, that i'm still thinking about it my 6th day back. now i'm looking for local hawiian style restaurants here in portland, oregon. okay, enuf. so yeah, try new things, it can be a real eye opener.

[Reid]

Hi ponyboyPDX,

Welcome to the blog!

Sounds like you had quite a time when you were here. I'm glad you got to go to a Hawaiian luau and I'm really glad you liked the food. I love kalua pig too, but I don't really eat it too often as I can only make it in really large amounts.

[J. Elizabeth]

Winna kau kau!!!!!!!!

[ELLIOTT LONO]

HELENAS HAWAIIAN FOOD IS THE NUMBER 1 PLACE TO EAT LOCAL GRINDS, COMPARED TO ALL THE HAWAIIAN FOOD RESTAURANTS THIS 1 LEADS THE PACK, I SWARE TO MYSELF AND ANYONE ELSE I WILL NEVER EAT AT ANY OTHER HAWAIIAN FOOD RESTAURANT BESIDES HELENAS ALTHOUGH, THEY ARE CLOSED ON MONDAYS AND I HAVE THE CRAVINGS FOR IT I WILL SACRIFICE THE WAIT AND GO ON TUESDAY. AS OF RIGHT NOW WE GO THERE EVERY OTHER FRIDAYS AND SOMETIMES EVEN IN BETWEENS. THE SERVICE IS THE BEST AND THE TIME IT TAKE FOR YOU TO ENTER THE DOOR YOU CAN BE DONE IN NO TIME, GUARANTEED TO WALK OUT WITH A SMILE ON YOUR FACE, AND AN OPU (STOMACH) THAT IS SO SATISFYING WITH FULLNESS I PROMISE ONCE YOU TASTE HELENAS I KNOW FOR SURE YOU WILL NEVER GO TO ANY OTHER PLACE TO EAT HAWAIIAN FOOD....

[Ernie]

My family and I are planning to visit Oahu early next year and we have seen Helena’s Hawaiian Food on Food Network. Good stuff! We're planning to visit them and try their menus. As for now, I was just wondering if you know the recipe of their Boiled Butterfish Sauce because I would like to try it with boiled fresh Cod Fish here in Canada. Thanks for featuring Helena’s!