People love Hawaiian Mac Salad for several key reasons.
- Its unique texture
- Comforting flavor profile
- Its essential role as a counterpoint in the classic Hawaiian Plate Lunch
Mac salad is not meant to be the star of the show. Its primary purpose it to provide an additional flavor and texture profile to the plate; something cool and creamy that contrasts to something like a warm, crunchy chicken katsu.
The Hawaiian Mac Salad, along with the two scoops of rice, helps make a satisfying, filling, inexpensive, and carbohydrate rich meal. Perfect for dinner after a long day in the surf and in the Hawaiian sun.
For locals, mac salad is a powerful comfort food deeply woven into the culture. I doubt you will find a family barbecue on the Islands that does not have a bowl or two of Hawaiian Mac Salad. Definitely a local food tradition.
Key Aspects of Hawaiian Mac Salad
Besides being amazingly delicious, Hawaiian Mac Salad is significantly different from macaroni salads found on the mainland. Here are some of the key aspects of Hawaiian Mac Salad.
- One - Simple and minimal list of ingredients. All told, there are only 12 ingredients in the Hawaiian Mac Salad. It may seem like a lot, but this is really a short list of items; most of which you probably already have in your pantry.
- Two - Soft, plump, "overcooked" pasta. No al dente pasta here. For this traditional Hawaiian side dish, past is cooked so the elbow macaroni is tender.
- Three - Extremely creamy and rich. A generous amount of mayonnaise along with milk or cream makes this salad rich, creamy, and sometimes considered "soupy."
- Four - Hawaiian Mac Salad is included as part of almost every Hawaiian Plate Lunch you find on the Hawaiian Islands. If your plate lunch doesn't have a generous portion of mac salad, it is problably not an authentic Hawaiian Plate Lunch.
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Ingredients for Hawaiian Mac Salad
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 2 carrots
- 2 scallions
- 1/4 small onion
- 2 cups Mayonnaise Best Foods or Hellman's mayonnaise (no substitutes!)
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
- 1/4 tsp MSG
- kosher salt, to taste
- ground black pepper, to taste
Directions for making Hawaiian Mac Salad
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the elbow macaroni and return the water to a boil. Cook the elbow macaroni until soft and past al dente; 2-3 minutes past the instructions on the package. Pasta should be plump and soft while still holding its shape.
While the pasta is cooking, peel and grate the carrots on the large holes of a box grater (about 1/2 cup).
Finely slice the scallions, using only the green parts.
Prepare the dressing by grating the 1/4 yellow onion on the large holes of a box grater into a large bowl. To the bowl with the grated onion, add the mayonnaise, milk, apple cider vinegar, sugar, granulated garlic powder, MSG, a generous pinch of salt, and a generous pinch of black pepper. Whisk to combine.
When the pasta is ready, pour the pasta into a colander and drain. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Stir the pasta in the colander, draining it very well.
Add the cooled pasta, the shredded carrot, and half of the scallions to the dressing. Toss with a flexible spatula or wooden spoon until evenly the elbow macaroni is evenly coated.
The salad will be quite loose and taste quite sharp at this point. If the Hawaiian Macaroni Salad is dry, add 1/2 cup more of mayonnaise and 2 tbsp of milk. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours or overnight. Stir again before serving. If the dressing tightens up, add a bit more mayonnaise and a splash of milk.
Garnish with the sliced scallions.
Serve with your favorite Hawaiian cheeseburger such as the Loco Moco Cheeseburger.
