Saimin: Hawaiian Noodle Soup

Saimin — Hawaii's local noodle soup — is a product of the plantation era's convergence of culinary influences: the Japanese ramen tradition (the noodles), the Chinese won ton tradition (the dumplings), and the Filipino-Hawaiian dashi tradition (dashi made from dashi kombu and dried shrimp). The result is a preparation that belongs entirely to Hawaii — nowhere else in the world.

• Saimin occupies the same cultural-culinary space as Singaporean laksa or Malaysian bak kut teh — preparations that exist only in their specific multicultural contexts and cannot be replicated elsewher