Local Dressing

I never imagined I would write about salad dressing, but here you go. I was at the Star Market grocery at the Kukui Grove shopping center a while ago, when I spotted a family of tourists shopping for food for a week in their condo. I guess I have to give them credit for trying the local supermarket (Star Market is a Hawaiian chain), but they seemed so relieved to find all the mainland brands, including the big green and white bottle of Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing.

Don’t get me wrong, I love ranch dressing, after mayonnaise it’s the next best thing to dip French fries in. But wherever I travel, I like to try what the natives eat, either the local brands or the local substitutes–hence the mayonnaise habit I picked up in Belgium. Maybe my fellow Americans aren’t as adventurous overseas, so here are my recommendations for tasty salad dressings made in Hawaii. You can’t really go wrong because they’re all creamy and full of saturated fats, just like Hidden Valley Ranch:

  • Papaya seed dressing: papaya seeds are a bit peppery and fruity, so they make a good tropical dressing.
  • Creamy wasabi oriental: the wasabi is not enough to be spicy and oriental usually means it has sesame oil for flavor.
  • Maui onion dressing: Maui onions are sweet like Vidalias and they add extra sugar, so this one is rather sweet.

3 bottles of Hawaiian salad dressing in my garden

In the picture above, the plant behind the dressings is Okinawa spinach, which you can sometimes find at the farmer’s markets. It’s a really tasty and colorful addition to salads, or it can be cooked like spinach. It’s also very nutritious, with lots of protein and supposedly cholesterol lowering properties–not scientifically proven but Okinawans are known for their longevity. It’s also easy to grow in Hawaii, just root several stems in a glass of water and plant in full sun.

Bonus recipe for a quick salad: Get some lettuce and Okinawa spinach or whatever greens you like, dice an avocado and a package of fake crab meat, and top with the creamy wasabi oriental dressing, my favorite.

Printed from: http://great-hikes.com/blog/local-dressing/.
© 2024.

Leave a Comment