Surprising Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

Piles of Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

Why is it surprising? It looks like what you might find at any picnic but it's totally a flavor powerhouse.

This is not your granny's Macaroni Salad. I had it at a local Hawaiian restaurant and then went on a quest to find a recipe on the internet.

The problem is that people keep repeating the same recipe and publishing it. That's okay but totally meh. I would have to guess that there are as many Hawaiian macaroni salads as there are Ohio grandma's recipes for the pickle relish sweet macaroni salad. There were a few that gave the technique, which is important, and broke down the reason why it works. So I took what I found and made it my own.

Surprising Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

1 pound elbow macaroni
2 tsp. sea salt to boil

0.75 cup cider or red wine vinegar

2 cups heavy, real mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
4 teaspoons brown sugar
0.25 teaspoon white pepper
0.5 teaspoon kosher salt
4 green onions, minced
1 cup grated carrots
0.5 cup celery, minced

Boil the elbow macaroni in salty water. Boil until the noodles are soft up to a half hour. Drain. Do not rinse or cool. While hot pour vinegar over the noodles and toss. Let cool on the counter while you prep the remaining ingredients. That's the trick.

Combine the mayo, sour cream, milk, brown sugar, pepper and salt in a bowl. Grate the carrot, mince the celery and green onions.  Add the vegetables and dressing to the noodles. Cool in the refrigerator and serve. It's usually better the second day.