ʻInamona (Hawaiian Roasted Kukui Nut Relish)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Rimmed baking sheet
• •Heavy mortar and pestle or stone pounder
• •Clean glass jar with tight lid

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat the oven

   Set the oven to 350F and spread the kukui nuts in a single layer on a dry rimmed baking sheet. No oil. Kukui carries its own oil, and plenty of it.

   If your nuts smell painty, sour, or bitter before roasting, don't use them. That oil turns rancid fast, and no salt can fix it.
2. 2

   Roast fully

   Roast 12 to 15 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice, until the nuts turn deep golden to light brown, smell rich and nutty, and look dry on the surface with a slight oil sheen. They must be cooked through. Raw or under-roasted kukui can make you sick, so don't rush this part.

   If some nuts brown faster than others, pull those out and keep roasting the pale ones. Even color matters more than the clock.
3. 3

   Cool and check

   Let the roasted kukui cool until warm enough to handle. Break one open. The inside should be golden, not chalky white, and the smell should be warm and oily, never sharp. That's how you know the roast went all the way through.

4. 4

   Pound with salt

   Move the warm nuts to a mortar, then add the paʻakai ʻalaea. Pound slow until the nuts crumble, then keep going until they turn moist, sandy, and slightly pasty as the oil comes out. You're not making nut butter. You want a loose relish that clings to your fingers and falls in soft crumbs.

   A food processor can do the weeknight job. Pulse, scrape, pulse again, and stop before it turns smooth.
5. 5

   Season the relish

   Fold in the limu or chile if you're using them, then taste a tiny pinch. It should be salty, rich, and roasted, with the kukui oil softening the edge of the paʻakai. Add more salt only a pinch at a time. ʻInamona is powerful. Let it speak, no need let it shout.

6. 6

   Use and store

   Use right away, or pack into a clean jar and refrigerate. Sprinkle lightly over poke, hot rice, steamed ʻulu, poi, grilled fish, or vegetables. A little is enough. This is a keeper's seasoning, not a heap-on relish.

Chef Tips

• •Buy kukui or candlenuts from a supplier that sells them for cooking, not decoration. Raw kukui is unsafe, so roast it fully before pounding and eat ʻinamona in small amounts.
• •Paʻakai ʻalaea gives the Hawaiian taste, salt with the red clay in it. If you can't get it, use a coarse sea salt and be honest about the swap.
• •For poke, add ʻinamona at the end with limu, not early. Let it sit too long and the nut oil can muddy the fish.
• •No limu where you live? Leave it out. Better a clean kukui and salt relish than a fake ocean taste from something that doesn't belong.

Advance Preparation

• •Roast and pound ʻinamona up to 1 week ahead, then refrigerate in a sealed jar.
• •For the best smell and flavor, make it the day you serve poke. Kukui oil is delicate and does not improve with long storage.
• •Freeze extra roasted kukui nuts before pounding if you bought a larger batch; thaw, warm briefly, and pound only what you need.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 7g)