Genius Recipes
2 Creamy, Tangy Dips Straight From Hawaii (& Your Pantry)
Sheldon Simeon's pupus will save any snacking situation, starting with the Super Bowl.
Every week in Genius Recipes—often with your help!—Food52 Founding Editor and lifelong Genius-hunter Kristen Miglore is unearthing recipes that will change the way you cook.
In chef Sheldon Simeon’s childhood home in Hilo, Hawai‘i, no snacking situation was ever more than a couple ingredients and a few stirs away.
“It feels like a quick-fire moment,” Sheldon told me of the quick pupus his family is always ready to rustle up. “When we open up the fridge and just make food happen.”
Shoyu, or soy sauce, and mayonnaise could instantly become a dip, salad dressing, or sandwich spread. (These days, Sheldon buys both ingredients in Costco-sized tubs.) And kim chee—as kimchi was romanized in Hawai‘i, pre-dating the common spelling on the mainland—was always in the fridge, to be mixed with cream cheese and sour cream. “If we didn’t have that, our old friend mayonnaise was there,” Sheldon said.
In each pairing, you have one ingredient bringing the full-bodied punch (shoyu or kim chee) and the other smoothing things out (mayo or creamy dairy). These symbiotic pantry staples (plus a pile of cucumber spears or Fritos) are exactly all you need—when a loved one drops by, or when you’re burrowing into the couch for a movie or the Super Bowl, or when you just need your own moment of “ono” (Hawaiian for delicious).
But in his cookbook Cook Real Hawai‘i, Sheldon—who’s built many a successful restaurant and won hearts on two seasons of Top Chef—deepened the flavors and textures of his family’s go-tos with some cheffy tricks, while keeping them stir-together-in-moments accessible.
To the Shoyu Dip, he added a sweet-salty sesame crunch on top and lemony brightness within. He sprinkled in not just zest but lemon oil, too—one of the secret weapons he brought with him to Top Chef.
"The first time I tasted it, my mind was blown—I was amazed you could add both brightness and richness to a dish at the same time," Sheldon writes in Cook Real Hawai‘i. He also loved that lemon oil left poke with a silky texture, unlike in Mexican ceviche or Tahitian poisson cru, which essentially cook fish in the sharp acidity of lime or lemon juice.
The lemon oil he first encountered poured over tuna tartare at Vino’s restaurant on Maui was made by Agrumato, from olives pressed together with whole lemons. But by gently heating strips of lemon zest in oil and letting them steep, Sheldon’s at-home version captures all of the juicy sunshine of lemons, without the harshness of actual lemon juice.
And to the Kim Chee Dip, he layered in the umami of Parmesan and kochugaru (Korean chile flakes, also spelled “gochugaru”), plus crunchy fried garlic on top. At his restaurants, he deep-fries massive batches of the topping for garlic noodles and mochiko chicken. (And at home, “I just steal from the restaurant.”) But his coauthor, Garrett Snyder, also introduced him to a trick for making fried garlic from scratch at home in precious little time and oil—in the microwave.
“This is the best pantry hack that you can get,” Sheldon told me.
Now you can live like a Simeon—with lemony sunshine and crackly garlic always close at hand, and deliciousness just moments away.
| 1 | cup mayonnaise |
| 2 | tablespoons shoyu (soy sauce) |
| 2 | teaspoons Lemon Olive Oil (recipe follows) |
| 1 1/2 | teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon) |
| 3 | teaspoons toasted sesame oil |
| Freshly ground black pepper | |
| 2 | tablespoons roasted sesame seeds |
| 1 | tablespoon sugar |
| 1/2 | teaspoon kosher salt |
| 2 | pounds assorted vegetables, cut into 3-inch spears, for serving (see note) |
| 1 | cup mayonnaise |
| 2 | tablespoons shoyu (soy sauce) |
| 2 | teaspoons Lemon Olive Oil (recipe follows) |
| 1 1/2 | teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon) |
| 3 | teaspoons toasted sesame oil |
| Freshly ground black pepper | |
| 2 | tablespoons roasted sesame seeds |
| 1 | tablespoon sugar |
| 1/2 | teaspoon kosher salt |
| 2 | pounds assorted vegetables, cut into 3-inch spears, for serving (see note) |
| 2 | lemons, thoroughly scrubbed in hot water |
| 1 | cup extra-virgin olive oil |
| 2 | lemons, thoroughly scrubbed in hot water |
| 1 | cup extra-virgin olive oil |
| 8 | ounces cream cheese, at room temperature |
| 1/4 | cup sour cream |
| 6 | ounces cabbage kim chee, roughly chopped (about ¾ cup), with juice reserved |
| 1 | teaspoon sugar, plus more as needed |
| 1 | tablespoon Parmesan cheese |
| 2 | teaspoons fresh lemon juice |
| 1 | teaspoon kochugaru (Korean chile flakes, also spelled "gochugaru"), plus more to taste |
| Kosher salt | |
| 1 | tablespoon fried garlic (recipe follows) |
| Wonton chips, crackers, Doritos (Cool Ranch preferred), Fritos, Tostitos, or any other available -ito, for serving |
| 8 | ounces cream cheese, at room temperature |
| 1/4 | cup sour cream |
| 6 | ounces cabbage kim chee, roughly chopped (about ¾ cup), with juice reserved |
| 1 | teaspoon sugar, plus more as needed |
| 1 | tablespoon Parmesan cheese |
| 2 | teaspoons fresh lemon juice |
| 1 | teaspoon kochugaru (Korean chile flakes, also spelled "gochugaru"), plus more to taste |
| Kosher salt | |
| 1 | tablespoon fried garlic (recipe follows) |
| Wonton chips, crackers, Doritos (Cool Ranch preferred), Fritos, Tostitos, or any other available -ito, for serving |
| 1 | heaping tablespoon minced garlic (about 4 cloves) |
| Neutral oil | |
| Kosher salt | |
| Sugar |
| 1 | heaping tablespoon minced garlic (about 4 cloves) |
| Neutral oil |
| Kosher salt | |
| Sugar |
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Written by: Kristen Miglore
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7 Comments
soak them whole or dice or mince the lemons and then soak them in the oil, or something else?
My mother used to make "Avocado Dip" in the 60s, not guacamole, but a smoother dip that she served with potato chips or tortilla chips, but I think it goes with anything dippable.
AVOCADO DIP
6 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ripe avocado
1/2 medium tomato, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 green onion, minced
Garlic powder to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of half a lemon
With a hand mixer, blend cream cheese and avocado until smooth. Stir in tomato and green onion. Season to taste with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir in lemon juice.
A Japanese friend gave us different and delicious dip recipe. We also serve it over roasted veggies, like carrots, broccoli, or mushrooms.
SESAME MISO DIP
4 Tbsp. Miracle Whip (NOT mayo)
4 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. white miso
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. creamy peanut butter
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
Mix all ingredients together by hand with a whisk until smooth. Adjust soy sauce and peanut butter to taste.
Serve with crudites, especially jicama, bell peppers, sugar snap peas.
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