Hawaii Cooks: A Filipino Kitchen, Traditional Recipes with an Island Twist

Born on Lana‘i, Chef Adam Tabura grew up far from the influences of fast food and supermarkets. He learned to appreciate wholesome foods and traditional styles of cooking, often based on ingredients he gathered himself from the garden or the ocean. 

As a kid, he may have yearned for McDonald’s burgers, but today, he calls his upbringing a blessing that taught him about food at its most basic level and which formed the basis of his creativity as a chef.

A Filipino Kitchen reflects Adam’s favorite childhood meals, cooked by his grandfather or shared by neighbors and friends. It is also influenced by Adam’s travels to the Philippines, which taught him much about the roots of the foods he grew up with. 

Filipino cooking is rising in popularity across the U.S., where both the size and number of Filipino communities is increasing dramatically. (Filipinos represent Hawai‘i’s largest ethnic group.) Filipino food can be enjoyed everywhere—food trucks, fast-food establishments, malls, supermarkets and family restaurants. And with more restaurants headed by Filipino chefs, the cuisine is making an appearance on more upscale menus. 

These 100-plus recipes encompass all aspects of Filipino cooking in Hawai‘i today. Many of Adam’s island-style recipes, influenced by Hawai‘i’s plantation heritage, show new twists on traditional dishes. His Kare-Kare puts tripe in the traditional oxtail stew, and he replaces the customary peanut butter with ground macadamia nuts; his Filipino Spaghetti adds Portuguese sausage. Plantation-style dishes are given a Filipino touch—Pork Tofu with Watercress and Braised Beef Brisket Curry Stew with Ube—and Filipino dishes are given a tropical flavor—Coconut-Passion Fruit Flan. He has also adapted dishes to include ingredients found on Lana‘i—Venison Embutido and Venison Caldereta. And many Hawai’i chefs share their contemporary recipes as well as versions of traditional dishes. 

Chef Adam’s easy-to-follow recipes show the diverse richness of colors, tastes and flavors that define Filipino cooking. They will appeal to those who already cook Filipino food, and serve as a great introduction to the cuisine for non-Filipinos who are curious or want to learn more.

Noted food writer, Betty Shimabukuro of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, and cookbook author, Muriel Miura, have teamed up to present Hawai‘i Cooks, a series of cookbooks featuring the island’s influential cuisines including Korean, Portuguese, Okinawan, Chinese, and now, Filipino cooking. Like all the books in the Hawai‘i Cooks series, A Filipino Kitchen provides dozens of recipes exploring a traditional cuisine as it has evolved to become part of our local mixed plate. 

Baca / Beef

Bulalo / Beef Shank Soup

Filipino Spaghetti

Beef Steak & Onions

Beef Tomato

Caldereta Braised Short Rib Stew with Taro & Hawaiian Chili Pepper

Kalbi-Style Short Ribs

Kare Kare / Oxtail / Tripe Stew

Giniling Beef Guisado / Ground Beef Stew

Mini Empanada

Tapsilog / Marinated Beef with Garlic Fried Rice and Egg

Braised Beef Brisket Curry Stew with Ube

Manok / Chicken

Chicken Parilla / Chicken with Bitter Melon

Chicken Tinola / Chicken with Papaya

Arroz Caldo / Chicken and Rice Soup

Chicken Afritada

Chicken Wing Adobo

Adobo Fried Chicken

Chicken Inasal / Tangy Grilled Chicken

Chicken Long Rice with Fresh Ginger

Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk

Chicken Mongo Beans & Marungay

Baboy / Pork

Lechon Kawali / Roast Pork Belly

Pork & Shrimp Lumpia / Spring Rolls

Pork Guisantes with Potatoes and Green Beans / Pork and Peas

Bicol Express / Spicy Pork Belly in Coconut Milk

Adobo Fried Rice Loco Moco

Dinuguan / Pork Blood Stew

Pork Tofu with Watercress

Homemade Chicharon / Fried Pork Rinds

Chicharon Popcorn

Spam^® & Garden Beans

Ampalaya Stir-Fry / Bitter Melon and Pork Stir-Fry

Pulutan Pork Barbecue Sticks

Spare Rib Sinigang / Spare Rib Soup

Fried Pork Chops with Spicy Tomatis

Sizzling Sisig / Sizzling Pork Head and Ears

Simple Sisig / Tangy Pork

Tocino Omelet / Marinated Pork Omelet

Crispy Pata / Fried Pork Shank

Grandma & Grandpa’s Garden

Green Papaya and Green Mango Salad with Calamansi Dressing

Ginisang Sitaw / Sautéed String Beans

Fresh Vegetable Pancit / Noodles with Vegetables

Garden Salad with Calamansi Vinaigrette

Atcharang Papaya / Pickled Papaya

Gabi Stir-Fry / Taro Stir-Fry

Adobong Sili Paxil / Green Pepper Side Dish

Laing / Filipino-Style Taro Leaf Stew

Pinakbet at My House / Mixed Vegetables

Spicy Pickled Mango

From the Reef to the Buoy

Shrimp Kilawin / Shrimp Ceviche

Escabeche / Sweet–Sour Whole Fish

7-Up^™ Shrimp

Lobster Miki

Shrimp Okoy

Sari Sari

Arroz Valenciana (Paella)

Steamed Bangus (Milkfish)

Chili Garlic Crab of Boracay

Nocos / Squid Adobo

Adobong Pusit / Squid with Adobong Peppers

Snapper Sinigang with Tamarind / Snapper Soup

Deep-Fried Tilapia

Living Lana‘i

Huli Guava-Glazed Game Hens

Venison Chili

Venison Caldereta / Filipino Stew

Venison Embutido / Filipino Meatloaf

Humba / Braised Wild Boar

Kalo-Crab Cakes with Garlic Remoulade

Spaghettini Spiny Lobster Salad

Stuffed Uhu

Garlic Turkey Tail Adobo

Up-Country Short Ribs

 

Chef Adam & Friends

Chef Adam’s Shrimp & Lobster Watercress Salad

Chef Adam’s Lechon Liempo / Rolled Pork Belly Roast

Chef Adam’s Crispy Skin Moi with Watercress Salad

Chef Ippy Aiona’s Pork Adobo with Coconut Milk

Chef Joey Macadangdang’s Dinakdakan / Grilled Pork Offal

Chef Joey Macadangdang’s Kalderetang Kanding / Goat Stewed in Tomato Sauce

Chef Kaimana Chee’s Ube Halaya / Sweet Potato Jam

Chef Kaimana Chee’s Suman / Rice Cake in Coconut Milk

Chef Sheldon Simeon’s Chow Funn with Lechon and Pipinola Shoot Salad

Elena’s Restaurant’s Sari Sari

Elena’s Restaurant’s Shrimp Sarciado

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue’s Vegetable Lumpia

Grandma’s Chicken Adobo

Chef Paul Rivera’s Shrimp Lumpia with Banana Dipping Sauce / Spring Roll with Shrimp

Chef Tylun Pang’s Macadamia Nut Shrimp Kare Kare

Chef Jake Belmonte’s Lamb Shank Kare Kare / Lamb Shank and Vegetable Stew in Savory Roasted Almond Sauce

Roy’s Pork Belly with Tomato, Sweet Onion and Pea Shoot Salad

Chef Alan Wong’s Vegan Pinakbet

Alyssandra’s Lumpia Express’ Pork Guisantes

Ryson Matias’ Pork Guisantes

Chef Ron De Guzman’s Pork & Squash Crispy Pork Belly with Kabocha Purée

Chef Guy Higa’s Lechon Pork Belly & Fern Shoots

Julie Pavao’s Mini Puto Muffins

Alyssandra’s Lumpia Express’ Banana Lumpia

Ma Abraham’s Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie

Helena’s Sweet Treats

Cinnamon Biko / Sweet Rice with Cinnamon

Halo Halo Popsicles

Ma Abraham’s Ube Haupia Squares with Macadamia Shortbread Crust

Kalo & Ube Fruit Salad

Bitsu-Bitsu with Coconut Caramel / Fried Rice Flour Balls