Zippy's

Ask anyone about a local style restauraunt, and I guarantee that Zippy’s will be one of the first names out of their mouths. Starting 40 years ago with only a single restaurant, Zippy's has grown to over 20 locations across Hawaii and into a successful catering business. Zippy’s is known for its chili- perfectly seasoned, meaty, midly spicy, and a recipe that is guarded with lock and key gives Zippy’s a distinctive taste and the best chili on the islands. It’s almost impossible to go to a local potluck and not have Zippy’s chili around (Zippy’s sells about 110 tons of chili a month!). But, besides the chili, Zippy’s has a extensive menu of all the local favorites: saimin, beef stew, chicken katsu, Loco Moco (hamburger steak with gravy and fried egg on rice), fried noodles, teri beef- the list goes on and on.

Zippy’s “Zip Pac” has also become a standard in Hawaii. The Zip Pac is a bento consisting of teri beef, fried chicken, mahi mahi and spam on a bed of rice and furikake (nori seasoning). I remember always having a Zip Pac after sports games as a kid, and till this day I still have a Zip Pac waiting for me in the car whenever I arrive home from college. Zippy’s has definitely become embedded in local culture, and remains a great late night stop for friends, because they are open 24/7.

One thing I would like to share is a recipe that is alllmost as good as Zippy’s Korean fried chicken- tasty, tender pieces of chicken fried to a golden crispy outside and dipped in a mild, spicy shoyu sauce. The chicken might not look very special, but for true foodies, beauty is never skin deep. It’s my favorite thing to get when I’m out for a late night snack with my friends and it's all of my friends’ favorite too. Enjoy!

5 pounds chicken wings
1 tsp Hawaiian salt
1 can beer (or 1/4 c. wine)

Soak chicken for 1/2 hour or more in mixture of beer & salt.
Drain and coat with Cornstarch. Fry crisp and dip in sauce one by one while still hot.

Sauce:
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup brown sugar
3 cloves garlic
1 green onion chopped
1 small red pepper (or pinch of cayenne pepper)
1 tsp sesame seeds