Furikake Chips

One of the extras of Hawaiian Airlines service is the Pau Hana snack bar area at the rear of the airplane. There, you can purchase a variety of beverages and snacks or even pick up a gift or two, including leis. I was curious about the concept, so I went to check it out soon after the announcement was made that the snack bar was open. Two flight attendants were busy ringing up purchases.

One of the snacks I noticed in the basket were Kona Furikake Potato Chips, which I’d never heard of. Being a fan of furikake, I was intrigued and bought a bag. It would be easy to overdo a product like this, especially since furikake, a condiment used for sprinkling on steamed rice, by itself is pretty salty and almost always contains MSG. So my first thought was that the chips likewise would be over-seasoned. Instead, the recipe is an example of restraint. While the marketing on the bag claims a special process to reduce oil and enhance crispiness, the chips to the naked eye appeared to be no less oily than any other fried chip, though they didn’t leave big oil stains on a napkin like some. The flavor, on the other hand, was quite good. With the right amount of salt, they had a hint of sweetness and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds. Finally, to justify the furikake label, each chip was dusted with powdered seaweed flakes (aonori) that rounded out its taste profile. That’s it, no other ingredients.

When I get back to Honolulu later in the trip, I’ll have to look for the product at Foodland, where by the way you can pick up Ted’s chocolate haupia pie.