When heading to Hawaii and having an urge for something with sauce the best way to satisfy the craving is definitely a Loco Moco. Back in the days after World War II where american food was very common place, locals were searching for something more local style. This is when the Loco Moco had emerged, like a volcano out of the ocean, came a pile of rice with a hamburger and eggs that are drowned in gravy. It originated on Hilo at Lincoln Grill where a bunch of teenagers wanted something filling and cheap that they called Loco Moco. While the first original Loco Moco categories followed the five flavors of: Beef Stew, Chili Stew, Curry Stew, Tripe Stew, and Oxtail Stew. However, with modern variations carving their the sauces have taken the role of the categories while having regional variations from restaurants and homes.
While plate lunches usually serve the typical Loco Moco there are several versions depending what island you go to, which are relatives of the Loco Moco. A loco moco can be served on either plate or in a bowl, and change depending on the toppings, egg, sauce, meat, and rice. Many shops will have their own style specialized or claiming to be the default idea of "Loco Moco" and refer to it without referencing its style on their menu. This is a guide that explains some of the basics and types of Loco Moco that are characterized from a regional style that have been made from families or restaurants. It was awhile back that Loco Moco was mostly favored by just local people and the surfing crowd after a hard day catching waves. Loco Moco is mostly in high demand at stores with mini versions of one egg, one patty, in a rice bowl and the option of the normal loco moco with two eggs, two patties, ,larger portion of rice, and a macaroni salad. Japan has completely been left in awe over the Loco Mocos lovely flavoring of its gravy ladled rice and is one of the top most recognizable dishes to their travelers next to Shave Ice and Kalua Pork. They have become a staple of the Hawaiian Cuisine in not just the Japanese tourists, but many who wonder outside of Waikiki to the local or smaller plate lunch eateries. Gravy All Over: the sauce, gravy like substance, covering the rice. Brown Gravy, would be slathered all over the rice with no white left. The gravy is usually made from meat drippings and various mixes of dried foods, spices, meat fat, and simmering. While most places know what the term means they don't always politely ask if a customer wants the option and even worse some places even charge more for it! The term "Gravy All Over" is the secret for a way to ask for more complimentary gravy please! Loco: started as the word crazy and then to local and eventually it reached a meaning for the gravy. Moco: means mixed up and represents the meat part of the food stack. Traditionally its in the form of a patty, but there have been Burger Patties, Pocho Patties, Chicken Patties, Ham Patties, Turkey Patties, Ahi Patties, Shrimp Patties, and Salmon Patties. The Moco could also mean different non-patty meats like: Fried Chicken, Mochiko Chicken, Shrimp Tempura, Oyster Tempura, or Mahi Mahi Juhn. Gravies: The categories of gravies has started to develop into several categories. Recipes that have popped up in several family recipe card collections involve: Brown Gravy, Kalima Gravy, , ,Pahoehoe Gravy, Brown Gravy The big island city of Hilo is known for being famous for being the birthplace of Loco Moco. With rice being a staple during World War II and restaurants were popping up that had it with a plate of food there was nothing quite like the loco moco on the plate lunch prowl. In 1962 the specialty of Cafe 100 was the Loco Moco which was made by Richard Miyashiro that was made with the intention to leave the food establishment with a full stomach. With its name being loco to mean local and moco to mean mix it was created with those ideas in mind, along with being focused on generous portions for a good price. It was the starter kit for many loco mocos to come with the Big Island becoming the mecca of Loco Moco fame. Holonamoa Gravy Running chicken is what Halonamoa means, the story goes that the recipe started as a way to try and use every part of the whole chicken to not waste either the bones or the skin. The family was in Waimanalo when development was minimal and the family had very little money to work with. So, what happened is the chicken skin was cooked with fat saved and the bones made a stock that was combined with some dashi seasoning in the pantry and a creamy gravy. The list of what's inside is: Chicken fat cooked out from chicken skin, flour roux, onion soup mix, konbu dashi, chicken stock, sour cream or greek yogurt, half and half. Kalima Gravy Kalima Gravy emerged as a distinct style of gravy in the 1970's because of its relatively straight forward premade formula. The gravy uses butter roux, garlic and onion puree, half and half, alaea salt, mushrooms, shiitake, bayleaf, or the option of canned Cream of Mushroom Soup with chicken bouillon, The recipe came up from a family in Kailua Oahu that made Chicken Cooked in Cream of Mushroom Soup and brain stormed how to use the left over sauce. What was concluded that the white gravy would be perfect for a loco moco, while some deemed the recipe unauthentic and mainland like the recipe had been used at homes regardless of the nay sayers, because of this Kalima Gravy is sometimes referred to as Haolified Gravy or Haole Gravy. Pahoehoe Gravy Where Oahu Hawaii is completely in love with traditional brown gravy loco moco and sauces its no wonder that a unique gravy unique to the island would eventually pop up. Right outside of Waikiki and open for more than 50 years, Rainbows Drive in started with Seiju Ifuku and Ayako Ifuku and on the menu was their style of the Loco Moco which had begun the search for the secrets of Pahoehoe Gravy which also had the nick name of "Kapahulu Loco Moco". A Nearby Kaimuki customer had their own take on Pahoehoe Gravy and spread it amongst friends with ginger shrimp dashi, tomato, shoyu, chili powder, sugar, pureed garlic and onion, Many who have tried brown gravy loco moco always remember the unique gravy of Rainbows which is now one of the most recognizable Loco Moco gravies that is mostly referred to as just "Gravy". Ulapipi Gravy Generally made from the favorite cut of islanders from hotels during the continental cuisine era in Hawaii was the Prime Rib. Line Cooks who use to work at the hotels had beef bones or left over prime rib and even stock that would have been thrown away, but with everyone needing to feed hungry mouths at home these ingredients would be taken back home, even if hotel rules didn't allow for it. It was dubbed Prime Rib Gravy Deluxe, Local Luxury Gravy, Left over Gravy, Waikiki Gravy, or Ulapipi Gravy. Ula meaning red and pipi meaning beef is made from using tomato garlic puree roux, roasted onion celery carrot, red wine, onion soup mix, vegetable beef stock from prime rib bones, When a expensive Prime Rib bone rack isn't available people use whatever beef bones they can get. The traditional technique of using red wine is what gives the gravy a continental cuisine taste, while having its form being a gravy to localizing the sauce for a loco moco. Regional Hawaiian Cuisine- Loco Mocos As There are the beginnings of categorized sauces there are Loco Mocos that have their regions. Big Island Style Loco Moco As the most famous style being the Oahu style the originator would be the Big Island Style Loco Moco. It isn't the change in the rice to fried rice, it isn't the garnishes, but what it actually is would be the sunny side up eggs with the gravy having a smokiness from the left overs of the patties on the pan. It makes the standards of Loco Moco to have a off the grill taste with the expectations to be a bit of a crispy crust of the burger with a garlicky taste right after that smoke hits you. Kilauea Chili Moco Having its humble beginnings from the Big Island, being a mixed up mash bowl of breakfast meats and chili from Cafe 100 where the Kilauea Moco gets its toppings of: Little Smokies, Spam, and burger patty. The word Kilauea had been marketed as spicy from Hawaii Hot Sauce companies, locals demanding options of beanless and less meat Chili from Hawaii Restaurants, and peoples love for Spicy Poke had grown with Spicy Mayonnaise, all of which were components to the birth of the Kilauea Loco's change to the Kilauea Loco Moco. Since the Kilauea Chili Gravy is minimal meat with no beans, kimchi, sriracha, sauce like appearance makes it fall under Loco Moco, but since its a Chili base it is also a Chili Moco. Oahu Style Loco Moco Loco Moco is good for breakfast with its over easy eggs, but its also great for lunch for its size. The loco moco is iconic to the plate lunch experience that makes even the hungriest of customers ready for some sleep. Its always been a comfort food for its large amount of rice ladled with savory gravy, it has a grilled hamburger to give you that full feeling from the protein and meaty texture, with a nice over easy egg plopped on top to give the unique taste of the gravy and egg mixture that adds to that island flavor. Ala Moana Loco Moco Taking its fame from the chef Alan Wong's food restaurant the Pineapple Room the Ala Moana Loco Moco is known for its appearance that has standardized well presented Loco Moco from a sloppy one in plating, while making use of beef veal gravy, and oahu trend of garnishing on top of loco mocos which in the case of Alan Wong's version is the elegant tomato lomi garnishing. Those who live in Honolulu had started making the dish at home with instant beef broth and a few added spices, but with the gourmet presentation. While the secret of what goes into the gravy is still under wraps there are many Ala Moana Loco Mocos being made through the guess work of the originator. Laie Loco Moco While they use the traditional way of making a loco moco the Laie establishment Hukilau Cafe started the trend for the Laie Loco Moco that uses toppings similar to that of a hamburger steak. Grilled Onions and grilled mushrooms are used to work the started of the gravy that some even call Mushroom Brown Gravy. While many who are not in Laie have used this technique with other types of mushrooms, such as Alii Mushrooms, Pioppini, and Button Mushrooms they still call it Laie Loco Moco. One take on it takes it to another level with mushrooms cooked in butter, dark roux, shiitake dashi, added hamburger pan residue, and beef stock, Honolulu Chili Moco There was a time in 1966, when the Higa brothers Francis and Charles, the founders of Zippy's Restaurant, became famed for their famous Hawaiian Chili. A few more years down the line the menu had a variation of Loco Moco that changed up the sauce from gravy to chili like in the big island, which featured their menu item "Zippy's Chili". Unlike a traditional Paniolo Chili the recipe has a creamy taste, sausage like spices, and a wave of savoriness that is similar to a gravy. Maui Style Loco Moco A lot of people on the island of Maui love their Fried Rice, so much that it happens to be a important part to their flavorful Loco Moco. While a few places on Oahu in cafeterias serve it up with fried rice and other places charging extra for the switch of White Rice to Fried Rice the island of Maui just does it. It isn't uncommon for a Loco Moco in maui to already have fried rice as apart of the dish. It is stir fried with Maui Sweet Onions, Garlic, Bacon, Portuguese Sausage, and Spam. Maui has taken the name of their loco moco by making fried rice a key component in the dish on the island. Kahului Pocho Moco Given Maui's travel reputation as being a haven for american mainlanders you would expect a loco moco that wouldn't change its natural form. But the island of Maui is home to Da Kitchen started in 1998 by Les Tomita and Mariah Brown brought a most of what is seen today as the inspiration for families to start on their journey for Maui's Regional Local Mocos while holding portuguese sausage, bacon, and spam on the podium. The Chili Pocho Moco has portuguese sausage, spam, bacon fried rice at the bottom, gravy cooked burger, chili and cheese, topped with cooked onions, mushrooms, spam, portuguese sausage, bacon, ladle of gravy, and green onions. It is popular with the locals who want a hearty meaty breakfast.
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