History

Haupia is pre-contact Hawaiian. Original versions used arrowroot (pia) as the starch; modern recipes use cornstarch. The dish was historically a luau closer, served in 5cm squares cut from a pan and chilled. Ted's Bakery on Oahu's North Shore turned haupia into a national breakthrough with the chocolate haupia cream pie, sold by the slice or whole since the early 1990s. Lonohana Estate Chocolate now layers Honolulu-grown dark chocolate over haupia in tasting flights.

Make it at home

Yield Serves 8Hands-on 15 minTotal 2 hr 30 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 400ml full-fat unsweetened coconut milk
  • 100ml whole milk (or extra coconut milk for vegan)
  • 100g granulated sugar
  • 60g cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch fine sea salt

Method

  1. In a heavy saucepan whisk together the coconut milk, milk and salt over medium heat. Do not boil.
  2. In a small bowl combine the sugar and cornstarch. Add a few tablespoons of the warm milk mixture and whisk into a smooth slurry.
  3. Pour the slurry back into the saucepan, whisking constantly. Cook over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes until it thickens to a pudding consistency and large bubbles break the surface.
  4. Remove from the heat, whisk in the vanilla. Pour into a shallow 20cm square dish that has been lightly oiled.
  5. Cover the surface with cling film pressed directly on the haupia to stop a skin forming. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
  6. Cut into 5cm squares to serve. Top with a curl of dark chocolate or eat plain.

Tip from the editors. Use full-fat coconut milk; the lite versions don't set firmly. If your haupia is too soft to cut, the cornstarch was under-cooked; return to the pan with more whisking next time.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat haupia

Haupia in Honolulu

Ted's Bakery North Shore Plate Counter ★ 4.5

Daily 07:00 to 20:00

Ted's Bakery at Sunset Beach on Oahu's North Shore, an hour from Honolulu, runs a plate lunch counter alongside the pie case with garlic shrimp, loco moco and fried rice.

Try: Chocolate haupia cream pie and garlic shrimp plate

Tip: The chocolate haupia pie is the canonical North Shore order; pies sell by the slice or whole.

59-024 Kamehameha Highway, Haleiwa, HI 96712

Liliha Bakery ★ 4.6

Daily 06:00 to 16:00Coco puffs, butter rolls, oxtail soup

Liliha Bakery on North Kuakini in Honolulu is the original 1950 Liliha shop famous for chocolate coco puffs with macadamia nut chantilly, grilled butter rolls and 24-hour counter service.

Tip: Coco puffs sell out by 10:00 on weekends. Order a dozen and a butter roll; the grill side runs all day.

Worth the queue: Chocolate coco puff with macadamia chantilly

515 North Kuakini Street, Honolulu, HI 96817

More cities are in research. Want haupia covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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