ʻInamona is a condiment or relish used in traditional Hawaiian cooking made from seed kernels of the kukui nut (candlenuts) and sea salt.

Limu poke at a retirement party buffet in Puunene, Maui in 2005. It was made with fresh ahi (yellowfin tuna), ʻinamona (chopped kukui nuts), green onions, and limu manauea. It is presented on a bed of red cabbage

To make traditional ʻinamona, the fruits of the kukui are harvested, dried, and husked. The exposed dried nuts are roasted over hot coals until evenly blackish brown. They are then cooled, sometimes dipped in cold water to crack the secondary husk and expose the kernel. First ground with a stone and mortar, the crushed kernels are then mixed with alaea salt to prevent rancidity.[1]

In modern recipes, macadamia nuts is a substitute if candlenuts are not available.[2][3][4] It is sometimes mixed with seaweeds, often accompanying meals[5] or served with fresh fish.[6]

Uses edit

ʻInamona is used in poke and sometimes sushi. It enhances the flavor of the poke, which may be served "Hawaiian style" with a mix of sesame oil, limu, salt, and yellowfin tuna (ahi) or sometimes skipjack tuna (aku).

Resources edit

  1. ^ "Traditional Inamona - Arca del Gusto". Slow Food Foundation.
  2. ^ Borunda, Alejandra (27 January 2017). "From Arare to Ogo: Know Your Poke Add-Ins". Bon Appétit.
  3. ^ GourmetSleuth. "Inamona". Gourmet Sleuth. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
  4. ^ "Recipe: Make Hawaii-Style Ahi Poke Wherever You Are". Hawaii Magazine. 17 July 2009.
  5. ^ Kane, Herbert Kawainui (1997). Ancient Hawaiʻi. Captain Cook, Hawaiʻi: Kawainui Press. p. 53. ISBN 0-943357-03-9. OCLC 40050123.
  6. ^ Cheng, Martha (13 January 2017). "How the Hawaiian Poke Bowl Became the World's New Fast Food". Hawaii Magazine.