G LOS S AR Y
AHI |ah-hee| Hawaiian for yellowin tuna
‘ALAEA |ah-lah-eh-ah| A natural mineral (volcanic baked red clay) that gives ‘Alaea
sea salt the distinctive pink color.

TH E M ALIH I NI GUIDEto HAWAIIAN FOOD

BROKE DA MOUT’ |brohk da mowt| Local slang for an intensely delicious
experience. (Ex: “Highway Inn food is broke da mout’!”)
CHILI PEPPER WATER |chee-lee peh-pa wad-dah | A popular condimentprepared from local red chilis, salt, and water. It’s good on everything but the table and loor.
So please don’t shake the bottle.
GRIND |gri-nd| Slang for “eat” or “chow down.” (Ex: “Let’s go grind at Highway Inn.”)
LOMI OR LOMI LOMI |low-me| It literally means to “massage.” So “lomi” refers to
the way the dish is prepared: Tomatoes, salmon, and onions massaged together.
HAUPIA |how-pee-ah| A sweet dessert, haupia was traditionally made ofarrowroot (pia). It’s now made of coconut milk, cornstarch and sugar.
HOWZIT |how-zit| A local greeting, which means “how are you doing” or “how is itgoing?”
IMU |ee-moo| A traditional underground oven used by Hawaiians to cook a pig.
LIMU |lee-moo| The Hawaiian word for algae, it added lavor to the ancient
Hawaiian diet.
MAHALO |mah-ha-low| Although this is on most garbage receptacles, it does not mean
“trash.” It actually means “thank you.”‘ONO |oh-no| Delicious, tasty.
PAU |pow| Finished, completed, done.
PIPIKAULA |pee-pee-cow-lah| Much like beef jerky, pipi (beef) kaula (strip) wasa favorite snack among paniolo (Hawaiian cowboys) during long cattle drives in the19th century.

Waipahu(808) 677-4345

Our Kaka‘ako(808) 954-4955

94-226 Leoku St.
Waipahu, Hawai‘i 96789

680 Ala Moana Blvd. #105
Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96813

www.myhighwayinn.com©2015 Highway Inn

Hawaiian food isn’t a pizza topped withpineapple and ham, nor is it a fruity drinkwith an umbrella in it. Hawaiian food is
distinctive, delicious and rich in history
as well as taste.
Highway Inn has worked hard to honor
the tradition of Hawaiian food since theday we opened in 1947. From a modest
store on Depot Road to our current
location on Leoku Street, our founders,Seiichi and Nancy Toguchi believedin putting their hearts into each of
their homemade Hawaiian dishes. Two
generations later, our preparation andrecipes have remained unchanged,so each of our guests can enjoy a taste ofold Hawai‘i.
This Malihini (newcomer) Guide will
help you understand and appreciate thetraditional lavor of our Hawaiian food.
So read up, eat up, and don’t forget tocome back for more.

LAU LAU |like “wow-wow,”
but with an “L”| a traditional
Hawaiian dish consisting of a piece ofpork and butterish wrapped in luau
(loo-ow) leaves (think spinach) andsteamed for several hours.
A

H I G H WAY I NN ’ S S U PE R C OM B O P LATE

Learn about our most popular local dishes
B

POI |poy| is mashed up taroroot. It was the main source ofstarch for Hawaiians. Whether it’sserved at room temperature or cold,
locals often eat it with a spoonful oflomi salmon or a bite of kalua pig.

CB

KALUA PIG |kah-loo-ah
peeg| literally means, “pigcooked in an underground oven.”It’s the centerpiece to any luau (party).
Kalua pig is similar to carnitas, but
has a smokier lavor.

DCA

F

PIPIKAULA |pee-pee-cowlah| Our most popular dish,this is a salted, dried beef strip. Thinksteak with a twist. Our pipikaula isseasoned and dried, and then grilled toenhance the lavor.
DE

OTH E R LOC AL F AVO R ITE SLOMI SALMON |low-me
sam-min| is a Hawaiian sidedish made of diced tomatoes, onionsand salmon. Similar to ceviche, Lomi
Salmon’s culinary partner in crime ispoi.
EHAUPIA |how-pee-ah| is asweet Hawaiian dessert. And it’sdelicious! Haupia is a cross between
coconut pudding and gelatin.
FHAWAIIAN SALT
or Alaea Sea Salt is a
traditional Hawaiian tablesalt. Historically, its mainuse was to preserve foods,
which is why much of
Hawaiian cuisine isseasoned with it.

POKE |Poh-kay| Is likea sashimi salad, it consistsof diced raw ahi (tuna),sea salt, sesame oil, limu(seaweed) and soy sauce.
It’s served as an appetizer
or a main dish.

CHICKEN LONG RICE
|chi-ken lah-ng rye-s|
Made of Chinese vermicelli
noodles, chicken, broth,ginger, garlic and green
onions, this soupy dish is a
Hawaiian luau staple.

SQUID LUAU |skwid
loo-ow| If you evermuster up the courage totry this dish, you won’t bedisappointed. Squid luau
is a wonderful motley ofsteamed luau leaves,coconut milk and squid.

BUTTERFISH STEWN’ GRAVY Salted
butterish (black cod)boiled and smothered in
our Hawaiian stew. It canbe served grilled, plain orin hot water with green
onions.