The Global Menu: Khao & Papas
Husband-and-wife team Juan Ching and Kim Thepsenavong serve up Peruvian and Lao fusion dishes inspired by their childhood favorites.
Neha’s Kitchen | Aloha German Bakery | Khao & Papas
If you think Honolulu’s food scene is still defined by poke, loco moco and Asian food, think again. The rise of farmers markets and food truck gatherings has spawned vendors serving up Argentinian barbecued meats, Lebanese zaatar flatbreads, Sri Lankan curries and more. Here’s a closer look at three of them—for their latest schedules, check their Instagrams.
Juan Ching, a Chinese-Peruvian from Lima, was raised on his grandmother’s aji de gallino spicy chicken stew and saucy lomo saltado stir-fry of beef and vegetables atop french fries. Kim Thepsenavong grew up on the Lao cooking of her mother. Two years ago, their food truck, Khao and Papas, brought together the sum of their lives—their combined food memories with his 20 years in the kitchens of Alan Wong’s Pineapple Room, Limone, Basalt and Aulani resort and her front-of-house work at the Moana Surfrider and Kaua‘i’s former St. Regis Princeville.
Served up in Waimānalo on Sundays and at What the Truck in Waikele and the roving Mālama Hawai‘i Makers Market monthly, the pairings taste seamless. Like salchipapas loaded fries, the usual beef sausages swapped out for chunky pork sausages flecked with galangal and garnished with Laotian pickles. Or lemongrass short ribs over Peruvian pesto pasta. Or fusion ceviche, its leche de tigre replaced with a different chile-lime base of fish sauce, garlic and sugar.
“We thought we were gonna clash. But surprisingly, they marry well together.”
— Juan Ching
Kim Thepsenavong and Juan Ching. Photo: Olivier Koning
When I ask about the food, the couple’s sentences intersperse and stack up on each other.
“Khao in Lao means food or rice. Papas is potatoes in Spanish, and it’s one of the main starches in Peru,” Kim says. “We both love food. We both love our culture. We create dishes that remind us of childhood and incorporate both of our flavors into it.”
Juan chimes in. “In Peru, there’s a lot of Asian ethnicities that fuse their cuisines. Their flavors are pretty similar and not overpowering. Versus Lao food—it can be pretty strong,” he says. “We thought we were gonna clash. But surprisingly, they marry well together. We keep the essence of the cuisines but make the food more approachable.”
Khao and Papas’ Lao-style salchipapas, left, and Peruvian anticucho beef skewers, right. Photo: Olivier Koning
As with Gurung and Koch, who cook to keep flavors of their home countries close, menus at Khao and Papas are driven by the deepest food memories. “That’s my comfort food growing up—sticky rice, a type of jaew, a type of fried veggies, barbecued meat, papaya salad,” Kim says. “We were so excited to introduce our anticucho skewers plate because it has sticky rice, pickled vegetables and jaew maklen,” spicy tomato dipping sauce.
Perched on the purple rice, the beef threaded onto the skewers is soft and fragrant from Juan’s marinade and light grilling. Notes of garlic, cumin and Peruvian chiles are an easy match for the savory-sweet spiciness of Kim’s mother’s jaew maklen. It’s “what I grew up with,” Juan says. “When I cook now in the food truck, that all brings back memories.”
The scene at ‘Ono Grindz and Mākeke in ‘Ewa Beach on Thursday evenings. Photo: Olivier Koning
These vendors bring dishes found rarely, if at all, at Honolulu’s brick-and-mortar restaurants. Check each one’s Instagram for latest details about where to find them and what they’re serving.
ASIAN
A-Ma’s Gua Bao—Taiwanese steamed buns with pork belly, seasoned chicken, tofu and other fillings. @amas_gua_bao
Nasi Lemak HI—Coconut rice with galangal fried chicken, beef rendang and vegan curry. @nasilemakhi
EUROPEAN
Little Sparrow—German spaetzle noodles sautéed with savory sauces including cheese or garlic shrimp; and jägerschnitzel pork cutlets. @littlesparrowhnl
Pelmeshki—Eastern European pelmeshki and pierogi street food dumplings. @pelmeshki_hi
INDIAN
Curry Guru—Sri Lankan/South Indian dishes including turmeric rice meatball curry, curry-filled Naan-wiches and kuttu roti flatbreads. @curryguruhawaii
Simply Indulge—Pani puri, dosas and other South Indian food. @simplyindulge808
LATIN
Aloha Alfajores—Argentine cookies made with honey, nuts and dulce de leche. alohalfajoresllc.com, @alohaalfajores
El Gallo—Anticuchos, salchipapas, picarones butternut squash doughnuts and other Peruvian street food. @elgallo.hawaii
Guaiqueri Empanadas—Venezuelan empanadas with cheesy fillings including chorizo. @guaiqueri_empanadas
Guaya—Cubano sandwiches. @guaya.emp
Mar del Plata—Argentine grilled steak sandwiches and sausage sandwiches with chimichurri. @mardelplatabbq
Nosh—Brazilian pão de queijo cheese bread. @nosh_hawaii
Papi’s Empanadas—Argentine empanadas with fillings including crab, chicken and corn. @papisempanadas
Rico Rico Chicken—Peruvian rotisserie chicken. @ricoricochicken
MIDDLE EAST
Māla-Be—Middle Eastern rose water cup desserts. @malabe_life
Saj Beirut—Lebanese desserts and flatbreads topped or rolled with zaatar or minced lamb. @sajbeiruthawaii
PACIFIC
4rm Skrach—Pagipopo, puligi, pisupo and other Samoan dishes. @4rmskrach
Perefoti Island Fixx—Vaifala, poi fa‘i, panikeke and other Samoan drinks and dishes. @perefotiislandfixx
