Alana Kysar grew up on Maui, surrounded by the feast of flavors we call “local food,” and she uses that background to great effect in a new cookbook, “Aloha Kitchen: Recipes From Hawai’i” (Ten Speed Press, 2019, $30).

“When you close your eyes and think of Hawaii, what comes to mind?” she writes in her introduction. “For me, it’s the way the islands taste.”

Kysar now lives in Los Angeles, where she has written the blog Fix Feast Flair since 2014. Although her posts run the gamut, she noted that her comments on Hawaii food struck a chord with her readers.

This is how cookbooks are born.

The 83 recipes she’s gathered — from kalua pork and teriyaki sticks to guava cake and prune mui — are not groundbreaking. You’ve seen versions in community cookbooks and your mom’s recipe box. And that’s the point. Kysar’s aim was to present the dishes that best speak of Hawaii, in recipes all her own.

Delicious photos, many taken by Kysar, accompany the text, and it’s all set up by an introduction to the mixed-plate of cultures in the islands, pantry suggestions and a dissection of the plate lunch.

“Aloha Kitchen” has a national publisher, which means exposure for our island cuisine among cooks and eaters who identify our food with Hawaiian pizza, and little else. The New York Times has already named it one of the best cookbooks of spring.

This katsu recipe is a good example of how Kysar can put a twist on the norm. She says her neighbor made the best katsu using a secret ingredient, garlic salt. She’s built on this inspiration to create a garlic-flavored katsu.

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Find “Aloha Kitchen” at Barnes and Noble or online booksellers. The official site is fixfeastflair.com/cookbook.

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Chicken Katsu

Adapted from “Aloha Kitchen”

• 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, halved and pounded to 1/4-inch thickness
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1-1/2 to 2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
• Neutral oil, for frying
• >> Sauce:
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• Pinch garlic powder

Whisk together sauce ingredients in small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Evenly season chicken breasts on both sides with salt, pepper and garlic.

Place flour, eggs and panko in separate shallow dishes. Dip chicken in flour, shaking off any excess. Dip in eggs, letting any excess drip off, then press into panko, coating both sides well.

In a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of oil over medium until shiny. Working in batches, fry chicken until golden, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately with sauce. Serves 4 to 6.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving (based on 6 servings and including 2 tablespoons sauce per serving): 700 calories, 43 g fat, 4.5 g saturated fat, 150 mg cholesterol,1,000 mg sodium, 45 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 7 g sugar, 35 g protein

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