Two Scoops Rice and Macaroni Salad

The warm weather in the Bay Area lately has reminded me of Hawaii again. Don’t worry, I’m not going to dredge up more photos of my recent vacation. But it did get me thinking of plate lunches, and more specifically macaroni salads.

The plate lunch is the standard lunchtime meal in Hawaii. We don’t go for no simple sandwich. It’s always a protein like teriyaki beef or chicken, or maybe the Hawaiian favorite kalua pork, and then the ubiquitous two scoops of rice and a scoop of macaroni salad.

And while this isn’t necessarily the most healthy of meals, it is the most comforting. I especially enjoy the macaroni salad because there’s something about the creamy dressing and the soft macaroni that made it all special. The macaroni salad always look so simple too because they are mostly just pasta and maybe some carrot strips. Some people take it up a notch with tuna and peas, but I say it taste great just with the pure simplicity of pasta and dressing.

Below is my attempt to make a home version of macaroni salad. I’ve found that places on the mainland don’t seem to make macaroni salad the same way as in Hawaii (unless you go specifically to a Hawaiian-style restaurant). The macaroni salads here are more like pasta salad with so many ingredients the pasta just fades to the background. But I say make the macaroni the star, maybe at your next grill party or summer picnic. Enjoy!