Aloha and welcome to My Lilikoi Kitchen.
I live in Kihei on the island of Maui where the weather is always warm and sunny. The very idea of rain excites us because it’s a rare occasion when it comes our way, however, the sunny days are good for the garden where we grow tomatoes, cucumbers, assorted peppers, papayas, mangoes, avocados and lots of herbs.
Though it’s very beautiful here on Maui, everyone needs a vacation, right? My husband I visit San Francisco once a year where the food is superb and the farmer’s markets sell gorgeous produce, fresh tamales, handmade pasta, and of course, outstanding bread. These trips inspire me to cook delicious meals for family and friends back home in Hawaii.
I love to cook all types of food. Some of my favorites are Italian, Mexican, Japanese, and Korean. One of our favorite things to make is pizza. We recently received an Ooni pizza oven from our children, and now we are able to make Neapolitan pizzas as beautiful as the ones we have had in San Francisco.
Thank you for visiting with me. Let’s start cooking!
Cheers!
Kiyo
78 Comments
aloha kiyo!
great site!!..love the photos, and great recepies! yum!:)
Hi Gwen,
Thank you very much for visiting My Lilikoi Kitchen!
Aloha, Kiyo
Wow! Amazing recipes and photos!
You know how to COOK!
I’m going to try one out for dinner tonight, the hard part is deciding which one. 🙂
Thanks for sharing all your inspiration and creativity.
Best,
Val
Thank you Val for visiting my food blog! Cooking is one of my favorite things to do. I hope you’ll enjoy some of the recipes I posted.
Aloha and mahalo!
Kiyo
Kiyo,
I logged into your website today and am in absolute awe… What a talent you are! Your website is sensational – better than any professional, in fact, you should consider a career in the industry! The photos capture the fresh ingredients so well and all the dishes look scrumptious. This is better than any cookbook and I will log on to try out many of your recipes.
Thank you!
Warm regards, Katherine
Hi Katherine,
Thanks so much for taking the time to visit my blog and for all of your kind compliments. I still have much to learn from my fellow bloggers! I love trying out new recipes and any spare time is spent cooking (or shopping for food to prepare) then inviting a few friends over for dinner. Mahalo!
Wow-looks great…can’t wait to try some, I want to try the Quinoa salad!!!!
Hi Nancy,
Thanks! Let me know how your quinoa salad turns out.
Aloha,
Kiyo
Hi Kiyo,
My brother is looking for someone to make 100-125 small 4-6 oz. jars of lilikoi jam/butter as favors for their wedding Feb 22, 2014. Is it possible for you to do something like this?? Helping them source.
thank you!
Aloha Marissa! Thank you very much for your note. We finally decided to grow our own lilikoi plants. In the past I occasionally received lilikoi from friends and also bought some at one of my favorite grocery stores, Mana in Paia, Maui. Since our lilikoi plants are just getting started we don’t have any fruit yet! I love your idea of lilikoi jam or lilikoi butter as favors for your brother’s wedding. Such a unique and tasty treat for his guests. Try a search on Google for Hawaii lilikoi jelly. I believe there are a few vendors that sell this delicious and fragrant jelly. Best of luck!
I love your blog title and your brand. And, I certainly appreciate what it is like to want a little rain – we also live in a very sunny, rain-free place. Your garden sounds amazing – it must influence your fresh and healthy recipes.
I don’t know your email, but I saw this today and knew that I must share: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/dining/012rrex.html?ref=dining&_r=1&
Hi Shanna ~ Thank you for the link to this wonderful bibimbap. I will try it!
Hi, Kiyo. I have nominated you for for the following awards: Liebster Award, WordPress Family and Dragon’s Share Award. You can see them here: http://shannaward.com/2013/11/10/wordpress-family-award-liebster-award-and-dragons-share-award. xx Shanna
Hi Shanna ~ Being nominated for an award, well what a surprise! There are a million (or more) food blogs out there and for My Lilikoi Kitchen to be nominated is just a dream! Thank you from all of your food blogger fans for your encouragement and loyalty. Cooking together is so much fun!
Hi, Kiyo. I have nominated you for a Sunshine Award. What is more appropriate for a blog in sunny Hawaii? Your food is fresh and fabulous and your writing and photos warm and inviting. I hope many, many more folks discover your blog, which is why I have nominated you! You do great work and are creating quite a following! 🙂 – Shanna
http://shannaward.com/2013/11/11/1509/
Aloha Shanna ~ Wow! I’m speechless at this very moment. It’s such an honor to be nominated for a Sunshine Award. Your kindness, support and friendship is much appreciated by me and all your fellow bloggers. Aloha from Maui!
Hi Kiyo,
We feel exactly the same way about rain here in Pukalani. Big gray clouds come around, but rarely do they drop any rain. Would love a few more rainy days! That being said, at least we are warm year ’round.
Hi Sharon,
We sure received our share of rain this year. I can’t recall when it rained so much in Kihei as it did this past January and February. Wonderful!
Aloha Kiyo !
Maui is my favourite place to visit on the planet! and as lilikoi is my #1 fave fruit, I am super happy to find your beautiful blog and can’t wait to try out some of your recipes….
Thanks for such clear instructions and great photos:))
Mahalo!
Linda
Hi Linda,
Thank you for your kind comments. I hope you have the opportunity to grow lilikoi. We planted a few vines last year and they are doing well (they go wild, actually). There’s something so special about fragrant lilikoi!
I’m fighting off morning sickness and all I want to eat is fresh salads and Asian-flavored foods. I am craving every single one of your recipes and I’m inspired to try growing my own arugula this fall (we live in Southern California, so it’s too hot in the summer)! Thanks!
Hi Camilla,
It is great that you are craving veggies! If you like thin noodles you might try Aunty Ruby’s Somen Salad recipe. Cold noodles with lots of vegetables and Asian dressing. Make it in advance and it will keep for a couple of days, just add the dressing when you serve it. Hope you feel better soon. Mahalo!
HI Kiyo….I just returned from Hawaii and my friend gave me her recipe for Illikoi butter. It calls for 1 cup of Illikoi juice. With illikoi at Whole foods being $3 a piece (yikes) I wondered if you knew if I could substitute Goya Frozen Passion Fruit Pulp for $3.99 for this and other recipes? Would it be a 1-1 exchange pulp for juice? Mahalo. Can’t wait to read your recipes! You are so lucky to be in Hawaii! I’m having post vacation blues!
Hi Laurie! I’ve been meaning to make lilikoi butter too. Wow! $3 per lilikoi? I haven’t used Goya frozen passion fruit pulp myself however my stepdaughter Jessica lives in Portland and she used it to make lilikoi jelly that turned out great. There are a couple of blogs that use Goya. Here’s one I found this morning: http://www.sugarhero.com/passion-fruit-curd/
I’d give it a try. The taste and scent of lilikoi is amazing. Glad you had a great time in Hawaii. Come back and visit again!
Thank you so much! I will give it a try! My friend’s lilikoi butter recipe also contains cream cheese along with the butter, eggs, sugar and juice…hope it works! Aloha!
Aloha Laurie! Please let me know if you try out the recipe and how it turns out. It sounds delicious. Of course anything with lilikoi in it is wonderful!
Hi Kiyo-
did you ever find a recipe for Lilikoi Butter?
thanks, joyce
Joyce my reply is so late! My comment notification was disabled unbeknownst to me. I have not made lilikoi butter yet (I’m lactose intolerant). I would love to do so for friends though. Anything made with lilikoi is fine by me! If you find a good recipe let me know. Mahalo
Nice site. I wish I could pin your recipes on Pinterest.
Hello Kiyo: I just found you on Pinterest. 🙂
Kiyo – question about the refrigerator bread & butter pickles from Keiki Cukes:
once you make them, do they need to be refrigerated? I would love to make as a gift for friends, but want to know if they can be mailed to them or boxed up for the holidays, shelf/room temp stored, and then refrigerated after being opened. let me know, recipe made my mouth water as I read it!
Yes the pickles must be refrigerated but they will last for a couple of months. I recently updated the recipe to use a bit less of the flavorings (mustard seeds, celery seeds). They really are delicious, especially on a tuna sandwich! Mahalo!
Hi Kiyo, just stumbled on your website and love the recipes posted. we will be visiting Wailea in March and was wondering if you can recommend where we can buy some fresh lilikoi and papaya. those are our favorite fruits in Hawaii and didn’t know if we can buy from you or where you recommend.
Hi Sharon, I missed your visit! I’m so sorry for the late reply, my comment button was not working. The next time you visit, you might find the nicest selection of local fruits at Mana in Paia. Otherwise there are a few farmer’s markets upcountry and in Kihei. Hope you will visit again soon!
what do you use to separate juice from the Lilikoi? Last year used my juicer, and it had to ran through the process 3-4 times to separate the juice. Trying to get ready for this year’s harvest.
Where is your store located on Maui, coming over from Oahu, and wanted to stop by.
Hi Annette, I live out in Hana and love all of the Lilikoi that grows wild . I use an OXO good grips food mill to separate the juice from seeds and it works fast and easy.
Cindy we use the same food mill. It works like a charm! Mahalo
Hi Annette! Thanks Cindy for the comment below. We use the same food mill. We used to squeeze the juice and strain it through a fine cloth, but the food mill is perfect! I still strain the juice after using the food mill, using a super fine mesh strainer, especially when I use if for jelly.
We have tons of fruit from our yard here on Oahu, I used your Lilikoi jelly recipe, we make over 6 dz jars (we gave them to the temples to sell at the Obon dances)
Love your recipes!
Hi Annette! Thanks for your comment and pardon me for my late reply. Lucky you with all that lilikoi fruit! We have a few vines that grow wild on our fence (not sure if the neighbors like it) but lilikoi is our favorite jelly. I’m making lilikoi cream cheese tarts these days too. Mahalo!
Aloha Kiyo, Thank you so much for your wonderful blog. I can’t wait to try some of your recipes. I live out in Hana and absolutely love Lilokoi. I would love to make a sauce for fish or chicken , any suggestions? Mahalo Cindy
Hi Cindy! Pardon me for my delayed reply (comment notification issues). I haven’t made a sauce with lilikoi yet, it sounds wonderful though for grilled or sautĂ©ed fish and chicken. A little goes a long way, I wonder if you could mix it with a bit of olive oil, some shallots, and a sprinkling of fresh parsley? Sounds like the perfect Island meal to me!
OMG! Hi Kiyo, it’s Debbie Lau-Shiroma. We worked together at Maui Intercontinental. I worked front desk/reservations. Living on Oahu now. Stumbled upon your website… It’s wonderful and your photographs are fabulous! Can’t wait to try your recipes!
Hi Debbie! Sorry for the delayed reply. My comment notification button was not working so I wasn’t aware of your post. Oh, Intercontinental!!! So much fun. Thanks for finding me after all these years!!!! Take care and aloha, Kiyo
I came across your blog today looking for a recipe for lilikoi vinaigrette. My husband is actually in Waikiki right now and said we have to make it when he gets back because it is so good. We live in Los Angeles and I am looking forward to seeing Hawaii myself one day!
Aloha May! I hope you are able to visit some day. In the meantime, if you can find lilkoi where you live, that would be awesome! We have two vines (purple and yellow) and we freeze the juice to use later (lilikoi bars, dressing, cream cheese tart)! Aloha!
Hi Kiyo – I can’t wait to try the smoked meatball recipe- yum!
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Aloha Kiyo~ Thanks so much for your site and the wonderful recipes. Someone has requested that I make ahi with a ponzu sauce for them. Though I see from researching online that ponzu is often made with lime, lemon and/or orange, the authentic way appears to be with yuzu. Do you know anywhere on Maui to purchase yuzu?
Aloha Katrina! So sorry for the late reply. I have not seen fresh yuzu at any of the local markets on Maui. I have seen bottled yuzu at R. Fields (Foodland, Wailuku). Maybe you could try a mixture of lemon or lime juice with orange juice. That sounds delicious! Good luck! Let me know how it turns out.
Hi Kiyo. Thank you for your response, and the tip on where to purchase bottled yuzu. I tried a couple of different ways of making the ponzu. The one I liked the best was made with rice vinegar, a high quality mirin (Eden brand), kombu, bonito flakes, lemon juice and a tiny bit of orange juice, and tamari. I’m going to keep a lookout for yuzu when I’m at farmer’s markets. It seems like something that would grow here. Aloha~ Katrina
Hi Katrina! Your ponzu sauce sounds delicious! I have never made it before but would love to try it. I saw a similar version on Serious Eats blog. I love ponzu sauce drizzled over seared salmon sushi that I order at Sushi Paradise. It is divine! Thank you for sharing your recipe! Please let me know if you find yuzu!
Aloha, Kiyo! I have a question about lilikoi. Your lilikoi jelly recipe uses water bath canning, which makes good sense. But what are your thoughts about canning lilikoi butter/curd? There are recipes for lemon curd online that allow for water bath canning. Do you think the same would apply to lilikoi, or would it require pressure canning? Any advice would be appreciated. Mahalo!
Hi Jason! So sorry for the late reply. I have never made lilikoi butter however a friend’s mother makes it occasionally. She does not use the canning method but instead refrigerates the lilikoi butter and quickly shares the jars of fragrant butter with friends. I did see on the internet that someone canned her lilikoi butter for 10 minutes. If you try it, please let me know how it goes! Mahalo, Kiyo
Hi! I made your Russian tea cakes but they are now”sweating “ after a few days- is this typical? What did I do wrong? Is it still safe to eat? Thanks!
Aloha Mins! This hasn’t happened to me, maybe we ate them up too quickly! Were the cookies kept in a cool place? It could possibly be that the weather was warm and the powdered sugar melted a bit? I live in Kihei where the weather is always warm so I am used to storing so many food items in my refrigerator. Cookies should last a few days in normal conditions so I would assume they are safe to eat. I’m making more this holiday season. I will keep an eye on how they turn out.
Aloha Kiyo, My name is Kat and I live in Haiku. Last night I made the Miso Butter Onions. Wow! That was the hit of the dinner! I did have one issue with the recipe. By the time it had been cooking for 30 minutes uncovered (basting every 10 minutes), there was no liquid left, and the sides of the pan were covered with burned sauce. The onions seemed done, so I went ahead and took them out, but pan cleanup was a big job. I think next time, which will be soon, I will reduce the heat slightly when I uncover, from 500 degrees, to 450, and see if that works out better. I’d like to have a bit of sauce for serving. Thank you for the delicious recipe. I’ve also made the ahi with avocado, tamari, ginger and lime. Wonderful!
Hi Kat! Thanks very much for your note. I haven’t had any problems with too little liquid but you’re correct, the cooking temperature is hot!!! I think that reducing the temperature to 450 or maybe 475 would be a good idea. Oven temperatures vary so much that it’s a tricky thing to get perfected. You could try adding another 1/2 cup of water and bake at 475. I used my Emile Henry baking dish which made for a fairly easy clean up, but you are correct in that there’s a lot going on in the baking dish! I suppose the high temperature and generous amount of liquid makes for a “lively” sauce that creates a bit of a clean-up job. What type of baking dish did you use? I hope you’ll give it another try. The miso onions are really delicious. Thank you very much for your comment. Let me know how it goes the next time you make this dish.
Thanks for your response, Kiyo. I used a Pyrex dish. I also thought about adding some extra water. I’m probably going to make it again in the next couple of weeks, and will give you the report. Aloha
Good morning Kat! I look forward to hearing back if you make the onions with your modifications. I’m sure it would turn out great! I have both Pyrex and Emile Henry baking dishes. The Emile Henry baking dishes are superb. They can tolerate high temperatures such as 500 degrees and they can be used under the broiler as well. The glaze is smooth and makes clean up a breeze. No soaking needed! If you bake quite a few dishes such as the miso onions, casseroles, mac & cheese, etc. the Emile Henry dish is the one to go with. It’s very useful and beautiful as well. Thanks again for keeping in touch Kat.
Hi Kiyo~ I made the miso butter onions again. This time, I used your suggestion of more water and 375 degree oven. I also increased the miso and butter a bit, to accommodate more water to start. I used smallish Maui onions which I purchased at Rowena’s Produce. I felt they were done at 35 minutes, and they were very delicious! Thanks again for sharing your recipes!
Aloha Katrina! Yay! I’m so glad you gave it another try. Thank you for the tips. I will try a lower temperature next time as well. Maybe my oven is not calibrated correctly so I will try 450 degrees instead of 500 degrees (so hot!). I love the onions and sauce over rice, but a roasted chicken alongside might be a nice treat. I have never been to Rowena’s Produce. I will visit them on my next shopping trip to Kahului! Mahalo!
Hi Kiyo! I love your blog and recipes. Recently made the cream cheese scones-the best I’ve had in ages. Rivals ones sold at Henry’s Mkt. at the old Liberty House.
Where can I get the Tofuxpress? Searched on AMZ, Wm. Sonoma and not avail. Suggestions? I am also a Maui resident
Good morning Gail! Thanks very much for your comment. So glad you are enjoying the cream cheese scones! For the TofuXpress you can buy directly from the company. I saw it available on Williams Sonoma recently. When I purchased it many years ago there weren’t so many options. I have the original TofuXpress with just one tension spring to press regular tofu. I see they sell it with a second spring (light tension) for silken tofu. Here is their web site, hope it helps: https://tofuxpress.com
Mahalo! Happy cooking!
HI! I was wondering if we could link your holiday gingerbread recipe in our company’s newsletter and holiday card? Please let me know if this is ok. Thank you!
Aloha Erin! Thank you for asking. Yes please feel free to link my recipe for the gingerbread cookies. I hope it will inspire our home bakers to bring out their cookie cutters this holiday season. I will be doing the same (it’s an annual project!). Mahalo ~
Aloha Kiyo! I’m late to the party because I just found you. Your recipes look delicious and I’m particularly interested in your tuna conserva recipe. One question: how much olive oil do I need? Mahalo in advance!
Aloha Yayabiki! Thank you for your note. The amount of oil would vary depending on the pan you use. Pour enough oil to cover the fish by about 1/2 – 1-inch. That should do it! Mahalo and bon appetit!
I was reading a recipe from a few years ago on beef kofta. In the description you use/suggest galvanized pipes for the grill. I’m not sure if you are still using them but those pipes are toxic when heated above 392 and release zinc oxide and can give you metal fume fever.
Aloha Kris! We haven’t used the pipes in a long time. Thanks very much for the heads up. We will find another option and update the recipe! Mahalo nui loa, Kiyo
Kiyo: I have no contact information for you, but we all want to know if you and your family are OK, with the fires there.
Aloha Alan thank you for your kind note. We are ok and so very lucky that the fires were not in our immediate area. We are all heartbroken for the people of Lahaina who lost everything. There are homes Upcountry in Kula that are no longer standing due to the fires. I will create a separate post with a donation list for those who want to support Maui. Mahalo nui loa
I just used your recipe for lilikoi (passion fruit) jelly and had complete success. Thank you so much for also mentioning using Goya frozen pulp (which is all I have access to in south Texas). Over the years I’ve resisted using so much sugar when trying to use pectin and have had much too tart jams. This time I said to myself I’m trusting her and just going through with it and now have much wonderful (and not at all too sweet) jelly to use and give. Also, I don’t try to sterilize and simply put all jelly in the refrigerator. Thanks again from this 80yo who just learned a great new trick!
Aloha Anne! I’m so happy to hear that you tried the lilikoi jelly recipe and had great success. It’s the most delicious jelly I know of. I know that Goya is a reliable brand so I’m glad you could find it. The recipients of your jelly will be thrilled to receive it! Mahalo and happy cooking from my kitchen to yours.
Good morning, I am looking at your roasted tomatoe sauce recipe. I was wondering if I could use beefsteak tomatoes for this sauce?
Thank you! Ellie
Aloha Eleanor! Thank you for note! I believe you can use any variety of tomato for this recipe. I followed the recipe from An Oregon Cottage blog. Jami goes into great detail about safely canning tomatoes. There are certain ingredients you can add safely and others you should avoid. Please read Jami’s article before proceeding. I used 10-11 pounds of tomatoes per batch and used citric acid instead of bottled lemon juice. I just made another batch for gifts. I hope you give it a try. Here is a link to Jami’s article: https://anoregoncottage.com/water-bath-safe-canned-roasted-tomato-sauce/
I love Hawaii, I have been to Maui several times. I just had a cookie from Kings Hawaiian Bakery called Lilikoi Crunch Cookies. I am wondering if you can replicate the receipe for me ? Especially since your website is mylilikoikitchen !
Mahalo
Aloha Lisa! I am unable to find the cookies here in Hawaii. Kings Hawaiian Bakery let me know they only sell the cookies at their Torrance Bakery location for now. I would love to try them one day. They look delicious! Mahalo for your kind message.