Posted By Stephen Rushmore
on
4/19/2001 8:17:00 PM
Every nationality or culture has its own name and slightly unique recipe for flavored fried dough. In the United States, we call it a doughnut. French scarf up their beignets with coffee. Canadians enjoy beaver tails. Mexico calls fried dough churros, and the Italians relish their zepoles. If your travels take you to Honolulu and your cholesterol level is not super-elevated, don’t miss the Hawaiian version of fried dough called the malasada. Served steaming hot directly from the Fryolator, these golden puffs of moist rich fried dough are drenched with delightful cinnamon sugar. Unlike some versions of fried dough that often weigh as much as a billiard ball, Hawaiian malassadas are light and airy, producing the unfounded impression that they are non-caloric. You must order at least three per person because no one can resist the addictive power of these delicacies.
The ultimate malasada maker is Leonard’s Bakery, located just a few blocks from Waikiki Beach. Most of the time Leonard’s is packed with malasada cravers, so you must take a number and wait your turn to be served. But you will soon reach the front of the line and place your order with a short Hawaiian woman who mysteriously disappears through a door into the kitchen. Leonard’s continuously produces small batches of malasada throughout the day and each order comes quickly from the kitchen hot and fresh.
While Leonard’s also offers other traditional bakery items that look wonderful, why use up your caloric input count on anything but Hawaiian malasadas?
