Beyond Kalua Pig: Chef Sheldon Simeon Shows Us How to Cook Real Hawai’i

Reprinted with permission from Cook Real Hawai’i by Sheldon Simeon and Garrett Snyder, copyright© 2021. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

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When Sheldon Simeon was a kid growing up in Hilo, he’d help put together massive spreads of pupus for guests his dad had invited over at the last minute. Improvisation was key and delicious was a given.

Simeon, if you don’t know, is a two-time Top Chef veteran (and fan favorite), the chef behind Maui’s Tin Roof restaurant, and the author of the new Cook Real Hawai’i, a book that expands the popular definition of Hawaiian food beyond the clichés like kalua pig. (If you’re looking for amazing pork dishes, rest assured the book includes a killer recipe for Pork Belly Dinakdakdan, a tangy and rich chile-spiked dish that expresses Simeon’s Filipino-Hawaiian heritage).

As Simeon puts it: “Tom Colicchio said to me: ‘If you combine delicious and delicious, you’re going to get more delicious.’” Which is exactly what these dishes are. Whether it’s the nostalgic flavors of ranch-dressing-draped blistered shishito peppers or classic huli huli chicken enriched with koji paste, these are simple but smart combinations of a few good ingredients that will nourish you at home—until you can get to Maui and try Simeon’s food firsthand in the land where it came from. 

Favorites from Sheldon Simeon’s Kitchen

1 of 4Kevin J. Miyazaki Courtesy of Clarkson Potter/Publishers

Blistered Shishitos with Furikake Ranch and Crispy Quinoa

To top these pepper poppers, chef Sheldon Simeon explains that “I mixed some furikake and ranch together, because delicious plus delicious equals more delicious.”

2 of 4Kevin J. Miyazaki Courtesy of Clarkson Potter/Publishers

Chicken (or Turkey) Arroz Caldo

Simeon describes this as less of a recipe and “more of a simple equation of rice, salt, and water doctored up with whatever seasonings are handy.”

3 of 4Kevin J. Miyazaki Courtesy of Clarkson Potter/Publishers

Hilo X.O. Sauce

Use it to season cooked rice or noodles, top roasted vegetables and grilled meats, or dab onto steamed fish or seafood. It also goes well with Arroz Caldo.

4 of 4Kevin J. Miyazaki Courtesy of Clarkson Potter/Publishers

Huli Huli Chicken

The key to flavor here is coating the chicken in shio koji, a paste for marinating or seasoning made from fermented rice malt and salt, which has the dual effect of tenderizing the bird and unlocking a whole universe of savoriness.