Photo by Daniel Lane
If you’ve been to a luau, you’ve seen haupia. They’re the glistening white squares at the end of the buffet line. Next to the coconut cake and Kona coffee chocolate macadamia nut pie. Most visitors aren’t sure what to make of the milky-white cubes, but if they’re brave, they pop one into their mouth.
The cool pudding-like texture melts once it hits your tongue. Silky, creamy and tasting of pure coconut, it’s a dreamy treat for those who seek coconut’s sublet flavor.
Haupia (pronounced how pee ah) tastes of pure coconut because it’s made with just four ingredients: freshly grated coconut, cornstarch, sugar and water. Sound simple? Well, authentic haupia is a two day process.
