This Hawaiian staple is the recipe upgrade that you didn’t know about it needed it

Turn the globe, place Spice mixture This is a synonym for the kitchen. From the first scatter, these spices lead the locals back to their childhood. Caribbean Jerk -spice. Egyptian Dukka. French Provence herbs. Japanese Shichimi Togarashi. Indian Masala salt. Mexican Tajín.

In Hawai’i, this typical spice is a MUI powder that has been a staple in houses and in restaurants on the Hawaiian islands for more than 100 years.

Here is what makes this signature spice so special and where you can find it and how to use it.

What is Li -Hing -Mui powder?

Li hung mui is a small, salted dried plum that is native to China. The name means roughly translated from the cantonese and means “traveling plum”, an allusion to the fact that the fruits are ideal to pack as snacks. Simply suck on the meat section and throw the seed for a quick energy boost. In Guam, the plums are “sweet and acidic”, which results in a nice summary of your taste: the same parts sweet, salty and sour. These plums are not only dried, but also inserted. Today this combination contains a mixture of licorice, red food coloring, salt, sugar and sometimes other sweeteners.

The fruits made their way to the Hawaiian islands and other Polynesian islands in the mid -19th century About Chinese immigrants who work on sugar, coffee and pineapple plantations. As National Geographic reports, it is here in Hawai’i -with additional influences from Japanese and Portuguese immigrants as well as Hawaiians -on which the sour plum has been transformed into a more versatile product: Li -Hing -Mui powder, which is produced by grinding the fruits. And if you recognize “Li” on a menu in Hawai’i, it is very likely that this refers to the powder and not on the fruits. For many people in Hawaii, the pronounced taste tastes like at home.

How to use Li -Mui powder

The options for the use of Li -Hing -Mui powder. Here are just a few ideas to start. However, do not feel limited to stick to it – Feel free to become creative and use the spices in every recipe that could benefit from a small sweet and spicy kick.

• Sprinkle it on pineapple, mango, apples, grapes, watermelon, strawberries or other fruits.
• Use it to coat gummy bears and other rubber bikes sweets.
• Immerse yourself in citrus juice and use the glass with Mui powder.
• Mix 1 tablespoon of Li hung mui powder with 1/2 cup of sugar to use them as a coating Monkey bread-bound cookie dough, Croissant conesOr to dust warm, fresh, fresh donuts. (In Hawai’i is li -Hing -mui powder a frequent coating for the MalasadasA popular type of donut in Portuguese style.)
• Sprinkle it Saur ice cream.

Where can you buy ling mui powder

In Hawai’i you will find on the shelves in many local shops that are kept on the shelves as “as” as “Mui powder”. “Crack -seed transactions“And in supermarkets. If you live in the continental USA, you will get the easiest time online (even though you book a flight to Hawai’i and not sound like a bad idea as a souvenir!).

Find dried Li -Hing -Mui fruit, sweets with it, a syrup that is infused with it, or traditional Li -Hing -Mui powder from these online retailers:

You can also order Li -Hing -Mui powder from Amazon or Walmart.