Everything’s Coming Up ‘Ulu

Fête’s ‘ulu aloo features Indian spices, ‘ōlena and black mustard. Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino

A few years ago, Christine Lee received an ‘ulu from her neighbor. But life got busy for Lee, who develops the menu and recipes at Island Vintage Coffee, and the ‘ulu collapsed into mush. Undeterred, she tried making mochi with it and discovered that its fragrant pulp improved the rice cake’s texture, keeping it supple while adding a sweetness that cut the powdery taste of rice flour.

She loved it so much she bought up an entire pallet’s worth of sweet ripe ‘ulu from the Hawai‘i ‘Ulu Cooperative to incorporate into the mochi that adorns Island Vintage’s shave ice. These days, the overripe ‘ulu, as Lee calls it, has been harder to come by, so she mostly caramelizes the firmer fruit and serves it with maple syrup in lieu of breakfast potatoes.

In the past decade, ‘ulu has occasionally peppered restaurant menus, usually in the form of fries and mash. Understandable, given that the starchy fruit is often compared to a potato. But in recent years, chefs have proven it more versatile.

At Kapa Hale, Keaka Lee roasts soft, ripe ‘ulu to concentrate its flavor, then adds it into the batter of upside-down pineapple cakes. For his ‘ulu haupia sorbet, he leans further into the fruit’s tropical notes.

Across town, Fête’s savory ‘ulu aloo borrows Indian spices, including ginger, ‘ōlena and black mustard seeds bloomed in oil, to perfume a crushed mound of ‘ulu topped with crispy okra shreds dusted with chaat masala. A tangy liliko‘i black sesame chutney alongside helps to underscore ‘ulu’s faint fruity fragrance.

The growth of ‘Ulu Co-op, which launched in 2016, has helped to fuel chefs’ creations. While a single ‘ulu tree can produce about 300 pounds of food a year on average, the seasons are often short, and the starches in a firm, mature ‘ulu can soften and convert into sugar within days. From there, it’s a fine line to spoilage. The co-op now steams and freezes the fruit, resulting in a more consistent year-round supply, and offers other ‘ulu products.

Chef Chris Kimoto of Skull & Crown Trading Co. uses the co-op’s ‘ulu chocolate mousse. To make the tiki bar “feel more Hawai‘i than what tiki is usually thought of as,” he incorporates Hawai‘i-grown ingredients into dishes like the s’mores pie, melding the memories of Ted’s Bakery’s chocolate haupia pie with the nostalgia of campfire s’mores. The smooth and creamy mousse is blended with Curaçao (we are in a tiki bar after all), and the pie is finished with a torched Italian meringue.

“There are so many more possibilities,” says Kimoto, who has also used ‘ulu flour to make gnocchi for a star-anise and orange-peel-scented osso buco stew. “It’s so diverse, and it tastes so good—my God!”

Martha Cheng is the former dining editor of HONOLULU Magazine and now a contributor.