CHINESE
"A good breakfast is no substitute for a large dinner."
Chinese Proverb
Bao Ji: stuffed steamed or baked buns (manapua)
Bird's Nest Soup: congealed bird saliva, cooked in chicken broth
Black Bean Sauce: fermented black beans with ginger, garlic, rice wine and other
ingredients
Bok Choy: a mild-flavored vegetable similar to celery
Char Siu: thick Chinese barbecue sauce of soybeans, honey, vinegar, tomato
paste, chilis,
garlic and other spices - used with grilled meats
Chop Suey: literally means odds and ends - served with rice or soy sauce
Chow Fun: wide, stir-fried noodle
Chow Mein: stir fried meat or vegetables served over crispy noodles
Chung Choy: preserved turnip
Congee: rice soup or porridge
Crack Seed: dried fruits mixed with salt, sugar and seasonings
Dim Sum: dumplings that are steamed, baked, or fried (many varieties)
Egg Rolls: deep fried mixtures of bits of pork, shrimp, and chopped vegetables in
noodle wrapper
Five Spice: a variable combination of Star anise, cinnamon, and other spices
Fu Young: scrambled dishes
Gai Kew: baked or stir-fried chicken breast
Gau: sticky sweet rice cakes
Har Kew: fried jumbo shrimp with mushrooms and mixed vegetables
Hoisin Sauce: a thick sweet and pungent condiment of soybeans, peppers, garlic,
vinegar and chilis
Hong Choi: Chinese parsley (coriander/cilantro)
Hor Fun: fried broad, thick rice noodles
Hot & Sour Soup: made with thin pieces of vegetables or meats, hot pepper, and
vinegar
Hot Pot: foods cooked in a vessel of boiling broth at the table
Jai: monks food - a vegetarian dish
Jook: very bland rice soup (congee)
Kew: large size chunks of chicken, shrimp, or steak
Kung Pao: meat or tofu stir-fried with peanuts, mixed vegetables & chili peppers
Li Hing Mui: preserved plum
Lo Mein: wheat noodles similar to spaghetti
Lung Har: lobster
Lup Cheong: sweet, oily sausage
Lychee: fruit with sweet, smooth flesh
Mein: thin wheat noodle
Mantu: plain steamed buns
Mei Fun: thin rice noodles similar to vermicelli
Mein: thin wheat noodles
Mongolian Beef: sliced beef stir-fried with garlic, soy sauce, and scallions
Moo Goo Gai Pan: fresh mushrooms cooked with sliced chicken
Moo Shu: shredded vegetable mixture stir-fried with egg or meat in a rice pancake
Orange Sauce: made from cooked orange rind
Oyster Sauce: made from soy sauce, wine, starch and sometimes oysters
Peking Duck: roasted duck breast in a pancake with scallions and hoisin sauce
Plum Sauce: made from plums, bell peppers, sugar, vinegar, ginger & spices
Pot Stickers: meat or vegetable-filled noodle dumplings
Sa Cha: Taiwan sauce of shrimp, fish, peanuts, onion, garlic, chili peppers & spices
San Shien: a dish with 3 major ingredients, such as chicken, shrimp, and beef
Shrimp Toast: deep fried toast with shrimp, scallions and egg yolk
Siu Mai: steamed dumplings filled with ground pork
Soy Sauce: made from soybeans, wheat, salt and fermenting organisms
Spring Rolls: deep fried mixture of pork, shrimp, vegetables, bean thread,
wrapped in rice noodle
Tofu: soft, moist soybean curd
Tow Goo: straw mushrooms
Water Chestnuts: crisp, bland edible tuber of an aquatic plant
Won Ton: deep fried stuffed dough
Won Ton Soup: pork dumplings floating in a salty clear broth flavored with herbs
Wor Ba: indicates an item served over "sizzling" rice
Yat Gaw Mein: thick, light-colored wheat noodles served in hot broth or a sauce
Yu Hsiang: a sweet, hot, spicy garlic sauce
Regional Cuisines:
Cantonese: Southern Chinese cooking of Canton Province characterized by subtle
seasonings
Hunan: Northern regional cooking of Hunan Province - dishes are steamed,
simmered, stewed
or fried
Mongolian: characterized by boiled meats, milk products, limited vegetables,
absence
of fish
Peking: prevalence of wheat noodles, steamed dumplings, food wrapped in
pancakes
Szechwan: West-Central Chinese cooking characterized by dishes seasoned with
hot
chili peppers
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PHILIPPINE
"Eat until the lips protrude."
Philippine Proverb
Achara: pickled papaya
Adobo: pork or chicken in a vinegar and garlic sauce
Apritada: pork with pimento and garbanzo beans
Bangus: grilled milkfish stuffed with vegetables
Bagoong: pungent, salty shrimp or fish paste
Balatong: mungo beans and pork
Bibinka: coconut candy bars
Bitter Melon: spiny gourd - definitely bitter
Bunuelos: fried dumplings rolled in sugar
Caldereta: goat stew made in a spicy tomato base
Dinorado: reddish-colored mountain-grown rice having a nutty flavor
Dinuguan: stew of park, pork blood, tuba, vinegar, and sometimes intestine
Ginataan: salty vegetable soup made with mung beans, onions, coconut milk,
fish, and fish
paste
Gisantes: pork, tomatoes and peas
Halo Halo: dessert of coconut milk, ice, and fruits
Kaong: seeds from palms, pounded into butter or boiled
Kinilaw: raw tuna or other seafood prepared with tuba, vinegar, garlic, ginger and
hot peppers
Kare Kare: beef stew in a peanut broth
Leche Flan: custard
Lechon: roast pig prepared in the Filipino style
Lumpia: appetizer similar to spring roll
Menudo: a stew made with pork, tomato sauce, and vegetables
Morcon: beef roll with sausage, eggs, carrots, and pickles
Pancit: egg or rice noodles 'n stuff
Patis: liquid fish sauce
Pinacbet: vegetables with shrimp or pork
Pinakbet: okra, string beans, tomatoes, shrimp paste simmered with fish or pork
Pochero: chicken and banana stew
Puto: steamed cup cakes made with sticky rice flour and coconut milk
Sarciado: meat or seafood in tomato sauce
Sinigang: white fish, shrimp or meat soup seasoned with horseradish
Tuba: The fermented juice of the coconut palm flower
Tupig: dessert of mochi rice flour and coconut milk
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HAWAIIAN
"What you have, eat."
Hawaiian Proverb
Ahi: yellowfin tuna
Aku: skipjack or bonito tuna
Alaea: a type of sea salt containing reddish clay, rich in trace minerals
Butterfish: black cod
Chicken Luau: chicken cooked with taro leaf and coconut milk
Chili Water: mild all-purpose condiment
Haupia: coconut pudding
Kalua Pig: barbecued pork, cooked whole in an imu (underground oven)
Kaukau: a Pidgin Hawaiian word meaning food
Kiawe: wood of the algaroba tree used in cooking
Kulolo: taro pudding
Laulau: pork, butterfish, beef or chicken wrapped in taro leaf and steamed in an
imu (underground
oven)
Lilikoi: passion fruit
Limu: seaweed
Loco Moco: a fried egg on top of a hamburger on top of a pile of rice - all
smothered in brown gravy!
Lomilomi Salmon: cold diced salmon, tomatoes and onion
Long Rice: cellophane noodles made from mungbean flour
Luau: a Hawaiian feast, named for the taro tops served
Mahimahi: dolphin fish (unrelated to the mammal)
Manapua: Chinese-style filled steam buns
Maui Onion: mild white onion, with sweetness similar to a Vidalia onion
Moi: threadfish
Naau: stewed beef intestines
Ohelo Berry: bright red, similar to a huckleberry
Ohelo: plant with edible berries
Onaga: red snapper
Ono: similar to mackerel or tuna
Opakapaka: pink snapper
Opihi: island limpets
Paina: the ancient name for a Hawaiian feast also referred to as a luau
Pipi Kaula: Hawaiian beef jerky
Plate Lunch: a meal consisting of an entree and lots of starch
Poha Berry: very tart, similar to a gooseberry
Poi: staple starch of the Hawaiian diet, made from boiled taro root
Poke: raw fish with seaweed and sesame oil
Puaa: pig or pork
Pupu: appetizer, hors d'oeuvre
Saimin: ramen-like noodle soup of local invention
Shave Ice: freshly shaved ice drenched in a sweet syrup - lighter and flakier than a
snow cone
Spam: Hawaii's favorite canned meat - the less said, the better
Taro: a tuberous vegetable used to make poi
Uhi: yam
Uku: grey snapper
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JAPANESE
"He whose belly is full believes not him who is fasting."
Japanese Proverb
Ahi: yellow fin tuna used for sushi
Amazu Shoga: pickled ginger, sliced thin
Arare: crisp rice crackers seasoned with soy sauce
Azuki: sweetened red or black beans
Bento: a take-out picnic meal
Daikon: a member of the turnip family (similar to radish)
Edamame: whole boiled soybeans
Fugu: raw blowfish with poisonous parts
Furikake: a flavoring accent of seaweed, salt, sesame
Harusame: cellophane noodles made from mung beans
Hijike: seaweed leaves used in soups and salads
Kamaboko: fish cake made from white fish
Kanten: gelatin dessert made out of seaweed
Katsudon: fried pork cutlet
Kombu: seaweed processed as a cooked noodle
Kuromame: black beans
Maki-sushi: sushi items rolled up in seaweed
Manju: sweet bean paste buns
Mirin: sweetened rice wine
Miso: thick fermented soybean paste
Mochi: also called sweet or sticky rice (made into cakes)
Musubi: rice ball wrapped in seaweed
Nabeyaki Udon: wheat noodles in hot broth topped with vegetables & seafood
Namasu: salad of vegetables in a vinegar sauce
Nigiri Sushi: molded rice balls topped with raw fish
Nishime: vegetables with pork or chicken
Nori: dried, compressed seaweed
Okazu-ya: "Okazu" means side dish - "Ya" means shop.
Casual storefront
restaurants serving carry-out foods that reflect the ethnic
mix of the Islands
Okonomi Yaki: an omelet or pancake with highly variable toppings
Onaga: ruby snapper
Panko: flour meal used for breading
Ramen: slender wheat noodles in broth topped with meat, vegetable, or seafood
flavorings
Saimin: noodle soup
Sake: rice wine
Sansho: a ground spice from a type of prickly ash shrub
Sashimi: thin slices of very fresh salt water fish
Sekihan: rice and red beans
Senbei: sweet rice crackers
Shabu Shabu: meat and vegetables in a simmering broth
Shiitake: large mushrooms with dark caps
Shira Ae: vegetable and tofu salad
Shoyu: a salty liquid flavoring made from soybeans (soy sauce)
Shumai: small steamed dumplings
Soba: slender buckwheat noodle
Somen: thin and delicate rice noodles
Suimono: clear fish stock soup
Sukiyaki: meat, bean curd, vegetables cooked in soy sauce and sugar
Sushi: cold vinegar rice garnished with raw fish
Tako: octopus
Takuwan: pickled daikon or turnip
Tamari: an aged, fermented soy sauce
Tempura: vegetables, meat, or seafood quick-fried in light egg batter
Teppanyaki: style of dining where chefs cook food at your table
Teriyaki: soy based, sweet and salty flavoring used on beef, chicken and other
foods
Tobiko: orange-reddish roe of the flying fish
Tofu: white soybean curd
Tonkatsu: breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet
Tsukemono: pickled vegetables
Udon: thick wheat noodles
Umeboshi: very salty, sun-dried, long-aged, pickled sour plums
Unagi: eel
Wakame: dried seaweed reconstituted and used in salads or soups
Wasabi: similar to horseradish but green and hotter
Yaki Tori Kushi: chicken on a stick
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KOREAN
"Eating is Heaven."
Korean Proverb
Bulgogi: gingery barbecued beef
Bap: steamed rice
Bibimbap: rice and vegetables topped with grilled meat, chili paste, & fried eggs
Chap Chae: stir-fried vegetables, meat, and noodles
Chigae: hot soup or stew of various mixed ingredients
Chop Chae: stir-fried noodles and vegetables with soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil,
sugar
and meat
Chun: vegetables, meat, or fish quick-fried in a light egg batter
Daegu: codfish
Dak: chicken
Doenjang: fermented soy bean paste
Gook: a broth-like soup with rice
Kal Bi: barbecued short ribs marinated in a shoyu and sesame blend
Kang Jang: flavored soy sauce
Kim Chee: heavily seasoned pickled vegetables
Kochu Jang: chili pepper sauce
Kogi Guk: beef soup
Kook Soo: noodles in broth with meat and vegetables
Maeuntang: very spicy soup
Mandu: stuffed dumplings, similar to won ton
Naengmyon: cold buckwheat noodles
Namul: salad of lightly cooked vegetables
Nurm Juk: meat, kim chee, and vegetables on skewers
Pul Goki: Korean-style barbecued beef
Saengsun Chun: fried fish
Sangchu Sam: rice ball with hot sauce
Sinsollo: meats and vegetables in a broth
Songphyun: pastry filled with bean paste
Taegu: seasoned dried codfish
Won Bok: pale cabbage
Yak Kwa: deep fried dessert rolled in honey
Yak Phab: dessert of sweet rice, nuts, seeds and dried fruit
Yakiniku: style of dining where you cook food at your table
Yook: beef
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PORTUGUESE
"Food is an important part of a balanced diet."
Portuguese Proverb
Acorda: bread soup
Arroz Doce: sweet rice
Bacalhau: codfish cakes
Braoas: round sugar cakes
Broa: cornbread
Bulo Do Mel: honey cakes
Caldeirada: seafood stew
Caldo Verde: kale and potato soup
Feijao: beans
Linguica: spicy pork and red pepper sausage
Malassadas: sweet doughnuts - sans hole
Morcela: blood sausage
Pao Doce: sweet bread made with eggs and butter
Peri Peri: a hot and sour sauce made of hot chili peppers, garlic, onions, tomatoes,
horseradish, and lemon juice
Pudim Flan: custard
Sabula de Vinha: pickled onions
Soupa de Feijao: bean soup
Vinha D' Alhos: fish or pork in vinegar and garlic
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PUERTO RICAN
"Food is the most primitive form of comfort."
Puerto Rican Proverb
Arroz Con Pollo: rice with chicken
Adobo: simmered chicken or pork in a marinade sauce of vinegar, garlic, pepper,
and chilis
Bacalao: salted codfish
Chicharrones: deep-fried pork skin
Gandules: pigeon peas
Lechon Asado: roast suckling pig
Mofongo: mashed fried plantain with pork rind
Paella: casserole of saffron-flavored rice, meat, seafood and vegetables
Pasteles: banana paste and pork or beef wrapped in corn husk or ti leaf and boiled
Pastelillos: fried ground beef turnovers
Pescado en Escabeche: pickled fish
Polvorones: a cookie
Ponque: pound cake
Recaito: mild green seasoning mixture made from peppers, cilantro, and garlic
Sancocho: vegetable stew
Serenata: codfish salad
Sofrito: a thick sauce produced by sautéing a variety of vegetables, herbs, spices,
then adding tomato
sauce
Sopa Borracha: sponge cake with rum sauce
Puerto Rican Restaurants on: Oahu
| Maui
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SAMOAN
"Eat standing, eat walking."
Samoan Proverb
Esi Fafao: baked papaya stuffed with beef
Palu Sami: taro leaves baked in coconut cream
Pee Pee: coconut cream
Poi Olu: breadfruit poi
Povi Masima: salted beef brisket
Taufolo: mashed breadfruit and coconut milk
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THAI
"To eat is human, to digest - divine."
Thai Proverb
Bahmi: egg noodle made with wehat flower
Banh: ribbon-shaped rice noodles
Bhet: duck
Blah: fish
Bu: crab
Gaeng: curry
Gai: chicken
Galangal: aromatic vegetable in the ginger family
Geow: won ton
Goong: shrimp
Grapao: sweet basil leaf
Gratiam: garlic
Guay Tiew: fried flat rice noodles
Gwaytio: wide, flat noodles
Hoi Oab: steamed mussels
Hom Pah: shrimp wrapped in fried wonton
Kai Yat Sai: pork stuffed omelets
Kana: the leafy greens of Chinese broccoli
Kao: rice
Karee: yellow curry
Kati: coconut
Keaw Nam: spicy wonton soup with pork and vegetables
Kee Mao: noodles with fresh basil leaf
Khai: egg
Khiao Wan: green curry
Khing: ginger
Krung Gaeng Ped: pork and vegetable curry
Lad Na: stir-fried rice noodles with meat and broccoli
Larb: chicken salad with onion and lemon juice
Ma-Muang: mango
Med Ma-Muang: cashew nuts in a sir-fry
Mee Krob: salad with fried noodles
Moo: pork
Muk: squid
Nam Pla: fish sauce
Nam Prik: hot sauce
Neau: beef
Phak: vegetables
Phed: hot, spicy curry
Satay: beef, pork, or chicken on skewers with peanut sauce
Saparod: pineapple
Sticky Rice: a dessert of rice and syrup with mango
Takrai: lemongrass
Talay: mixed seafood
Tom Yum: spicy lemongrass soup with shrimp and meat
Takaw: tapioca - coconut cream dessert
Woon Sen: beanb thread
Yum Nua: grilled beef salad with onions and lemon
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VIETNAMESE
"Eating and mating are human instincts."
Vietnamese Proverb
Banh Pho: ribbon-shaped rice noodles
Bo: beef
Bun: thin rice vermicelli
Cha Gio: deep fried spring rolls
Ga: chicken
Goi Cudan: summer rolls
Goi-Ga: chicken salad
Mien: bean thread
Nam: water, broth, sauce, or juice
Nuoc Mam: fermented salted fish sauce
Pho: beef noodle soup served with sprouts, herbs, chilis, and lime
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