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 being made by people who enjoy the Loco Moco at home and at the restaurants the dish would enjoy new heights of development. Each person carving their own way to make their own gravy to make the best tasting version. It wasn't only the sauces that have taken the role of the categories, but also island specific composition of layers. Thos would lead to having regional variations that would eventually be known as regional specialties which are relatives of the Loco Moco.. While plate lunche restaurants usually serve the typical Loco Moco there are usually several versions on the menu to pick from. Depending what island you go to there could be over a dozen choices that could make it quite hard to decide what you would want to order. 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! ---------------------------------------- Classic Gravy Selection: ---------------------------------------- Local 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. Kalima White Gravy Kalima Gravy (aka. Malu Mushroom 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 Red 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". Hamburger Curry Gravy Hamburger Curry (aka. Yellow Gravy) was made in the household to use up all the leftover hamburger by cooking the fat out. Sometimes on menu boards it would be seen on Curry Loco Moco, No Worry Curry Katsu, or as an additional ingredient to Saimin for Curry Saimin. Spices would be added, including: curry powder, shoyu, beef base, powdered garlic, powdered onion, all purpose flour and potato starch, black pepper, and butter. The gravy was smooth and stew like for those who wanted a dish with that curry spice that tastes so good. ---------------------------------------- Specialty Gravy Selection: ---------------------------------------- Makahiki Turkey Gravy This gravy usually is a mark of Makahiki. Makahiki is a time of thanks to the harvest season and prayers to the god Lono as a tribute that would overlap with the Thanksgiving holiday season which brings on the turkeys. Many polynesian families would have plenty of left over drippings from the baked turkey as well as knowledge of the fatty turkey tails. The turkey tail, butter, and vegetable oil was used as a mixture with all purpose flour to make a roux that would eventually turn into the turkey gravy that has been eaten over the years. While it is seen as a special gravy of the season it is still seen year around at some food establishments that serve turkey. Holonamoa White 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. Ulapipi Red 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. But its more popular these days to use Veal fat, or Shortrib fat instead of prime rib, due to the popularity of a dish at Alan Wong's Pineapple Room. 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.
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