We loved going to the annual Okinawan Festival, and always looked forward to the delicious and addictive andagi! A staple at this festival and usually as a pop-up one weekend per month at Marukai Wholesale Mart on Dillingham Blvd., Aloha Andagi offers their delicious Okinawan donuts for sale.
Since 2013, Aloha Andagi is family owned and operated by June Junko Bise and family, and June is well known for her contributions to her Okinawan heritage in the community. You usually see these three ladies, with their colorful aprons and headbands or caps, cooking these delicious andagi over two huge woks of hot oil. In Okinawan culture, andagi is usually made for happy occasions and is reflective of good luck.
Also known as "sata andagi," "sata" means sugar, and "andagi" means deep-fried. These are actually native to Southern China and then introduced to Okinawa. They're slightly different from the Hawaii version, as the andagi in Okinawa does not normally have a crispy exterior and its interior is denser.
Andagi donuts are made with flour, eggs, milk, and sugar; and its batter is hand-dropped in evenly rounded scoops of batter and deep-fried in hot oil. The andagi are good-sized round balls (the size of golf balls) without any holes like regular donuts, and are crisp on the outside and soft and tender on the inside. The taste is similar to a cake donut, and it is not greasy or overly sweet. As the andagi are frying, cracks and an uneven texture forms on the exterior, which makes the jagged edges crunchy.
Prices for the andagi are 6 pieces for $4, and sometimes they run a special of 18 pieces for $10. They also have one special flavor in its rotation, such as ginger-cinnamon, orange, furikake, bittermelon, strawberry, peach, apricot, cookies and cream, lilikoi, pineapple, pumpkin spice or Okinawan sweet potato; these are usually $1 per piece. The andagi can be frozen for future use and reheated in a toaster oven to get crispy again. Specific instructions are provided at the pop-up.
Weekend dates vary as to Aloha Andagi's pop-ups at Marukai, so check their Instagram page for specific dates. They are usually in a covered spot at the entrance of Marukai's covered parking lot. Hours are normally Fri. to Sun. from 8a to 4p or until they sell out, which they do. Cash only.
We just had our fix of andagi this past weekend, and they were so good! We missed Aloha Andagi over the past year due to their periodic absence due to COVID, and are now glad that they're back to their normal monthly pop-ups. We can't wait to get our fix again next month! So delicious! read more