Hawaiian cuisine is not short of dishes worth traveling halfway across the world for, but the Mac Salad stands out. A common item amongst the heaping servings of rice, this side dish blessed with creamy mayo is impossible to ignore. It shows up at every dining occasion; from fine diners to street-side food wagons, casual potlucks to picnic baskets - Mac Salad is a Hawaiian staple.

It's the simplicity and unexpected craving for this dish that surprises out-of-towners the most. It seems unimaginable to obsess over a dish that’s 90% mayo and starch but it inevitably steals the show. Some argue its roots lie in the European potato salad, which was a favorite among the wealthy plantation owners in the old times. The concoction got an affordable upgrade when the local workers added cheaper dried macaroni to this starch mix.

Mac Salad, with its comforting blandness, creates a unique contrast to a saucy main dish such as adobo or beef stew. People seem to be divided straight down the middle on the mayo debate - they either love it or loathe it. Interestingly, there have been instances where the most outspoken mayo detractors have had a change of heart after giving this creamy delight a fair chance.

Tin Roof's Sheldon Simeon, the acclaimed Hawaiian chef and cookbook author of ‘Cook Real Hawai‘i’, claims to have mastered the ultimate recipe for Mac Salad. True to his motto of valuing simplicity, he believes a traditional mac salad is about keeping it simple. A dash of imagination can inspire you to go creative with a variety of ingredients, from peas to ham, to imitation crab meat and even celery. But rather than being adventurers, Simeon sticks to basics and adds just boiled potatoes and eggs to impart some body, and grated carrots for a splash of color to the macaroni.

To lend the pasta its special character, overcooking it to softness is crucial. It may seem outrageous to pasta purists advocating al dente, but it helps in absorbing the mayo, making Mac Salad amazingly flavorful. And for mayo, it’s undeniably Best Foods, no other brand comes close, according to Simeon.

You might balk at the near 2-to-1 mayo to starch ratio the first time you make one, but it’s just like making chicken or egg salad, where the ingredients blend into one homogeneous mix as they chill in the fridge. A perfectly made mac salad is so decadently creamy that it demands a sip of water every few bites. Adding a classy touch, Simeon suggests serving this chilled delight on a bed of shredded iceberg, a tactic often employed at local diners, which adds welcome crunchy freshness to the lush creaminess.

Simeon provides the following recipe for this culinary delight for 6 to 8 servings. For the pasta, boil 8 ounces of uncooked elbow macaroni in 8 cups of water, seasoned with 2 tablespoons of kosher salt. The noodles should be cooked until they are tender but not falling apart. For the mixture, combine 2 cups of mayonnaise, 4 hard-boiled eggs (peeled and roughly chopped), 1 medium carrot (grated), 1.5 teaspoons of garlic salt, and 1 teaspoon of black pepper in a large bowl. Fold in boiled potatoes and macaroni.

Once done, the salad should be chilled before serving. The mac salad can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up a day.