Next Time You Eat Macaroni Salad, Make It Hawaiian-Style For Top-Tier Flavor

Macaroni salad is a classic side dish for cookouts and potlucks. It's the sort of thing that you can easily throw together or pick up in a tub from the grocery store, and it works — it's fine. But if you've ever taken a trip to the Aloha State, you know that it can be so much more than that. Hawaiian-style mac salad is creamy, tangy, aromatic; it's a side dish that reaches a whole new level.

There are a few secrets to making the best Hawaiian macaroni salad, but the key comes down to finding the right balance of sweet, salty, and sour in the creamy dressing, and then layering these flavorful elements with aromatic components like carrots and alliums. The elbow macaroni should be cooked until it is quite soft, and then coated with a dressing typically made with good mayonnaise, milk, apple cider vinegar, a touch of sugar (white or brown), as well as salt and pepper. The biggest improvement that Hawaiian mac salad has over its mainland counterparts, though, is in the aromatic vegetables.

In addition to the soft noodles and the sweetly tangy dressing, Hawaiian macaroni salad must have grated carrots. These not only add a pop of color, but also another layer of sweetness and texture. It is important also to get some alliums into the mix. Many recipes add grated onion — Maui sweet onions are a good choice — and finely chopped scallions give an especially fragrant touch, as well as extra complementary color.

With that combination of ingredients and techniques, you have an excellent Hawaiian-style macaroni salad. There is still room for personalization, though, with some folks adding things like celery for extra crunch, chopped boiled eggs for a bit of protein, or furikake seasoning for a touch of Asian flavor.

@passme.thesalt

Hawaiian Mac Salad🌴🌺 * 8 oz elbow macaroni * 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar * 1 carrot shredded (around 3/4 to 1 cup) * 1/4 of a sweet onion grated (around 2 tbsp) use the cheese grater!! * 1 cup Bestfoods/Hellmans mayonnaise (no exceptions) plus 2 spoonfuls (separated) * 2 tbsp milk * 1 tsp sugar * 1 tsp salt * 1/2 tsp pepper * Green onion Start by bringing a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add a good pinch of salt and add the macaroni. While that's cooking, use a cheese grater to shred the carrot and finely shred the onion. Use the video for reference to see what side of the cheese grater I use. Drain the macaroni and add to a bowl. Immediately add the apple cider vinegar and stir. Add the carrot and onion. Stir. In a separate bowl mix together the 1 cup mayonnaise, milk, sugar, salt, and pepper. Add to the macaroni along with however much green onion you'd like. I did 3 stalks. Stir. Cover and let's sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Once you take it out of the fridge, the noodles will have soaked up a lot of the mayonnaise mixture. Add 2 more spoonfuls (not huge) of mayonnaise and a splash of milk. Stir and top with some pepper!! #macsalad #hawaiianfood #hawaii #cookwithme #sidedish #bbq #barbecue #hungry #mealideas #easyrecipes

♬ Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride – Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu & Kamehameha Schools Children's Chorus

Now, Hawaiian macaroni salad can be served in all the same settings as your typical macaroni salad recipe. It's great as a side dish when you're barbecuing, and it's perfect to bring to a shared group meal. If you want the full experience, though, you should try out Hawaii's most popular meal, and cook up a plate lunch. The plate lunch is a simple, filling meal that you'll find all over the islands. All you need is Hawaiian mac salad, rice, and an appropriate protein or two. Hawaiian cuisine is replete with recipes to accompany these starchy sides. Kalua pork, featured in these Hawaiian pulled pork sandwiches, is an excellent choice, as is sweet and tangy huli huli barbecued chicken. Since the cuisine of Hawaii has lots of Asian influence, an easy teriyaki chicken or simple tofu katsu would also fit in just fine.

Next time you're thinking about starchy side dishes, or hankering for a little bit of island flavor, don't forget about this iconic, must-try Hawaiian food. The preparation involved is every bit as simple as any mainland recipe, but this Hawaiian mac salad offers aromatic depth and layers upon layers of balanced flavor.