AI-generated photo.
Hawaiian · Iconic, Hawaii · United States
Kalua pork
Also called kālua
Kalua pork (kālua), a Hawaii plate from the United States.
Pai editors’ mark 5 / 5
Plan, list, and collections
Kalua pork is cooked in Hawaii as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Salt the pork heavily and roast it covered until it shreds, then wilt cabbage in the juices. An imu pit and kiawe wood are the feast. A covered oven roast is the heat this kitchen has. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Health
How this plate sits
Counted from the ingredient table. The score, richness, and badges describe one serving as written. The ring and the nutrient table follow the serving count above. This is general information, not medical advice.
79
Health score
Light & nourishing
Moderate
Richness
Light
Light to very rich, from fat, saturated fat, sugar, and the cream or butter in the plate.
- Protein 62%
- Carbs 10%
- Fat 28%
Watch · Diabetes-friendly
It misses a gentler mark: sugar, fiber, the starch mix, or the richness of the plate.
Watch · Heart-friendly
Saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, or fiber keeps this off the heart-friendly list.
Suits · Weight loss
Calories stay contained and protein is high enough to feel like a meal.
Suits · High protein
About 36.5 g of protein in the serving.
Watch · Low sodium
About 878 mg of sodium, above the 450 mg mark.
Suits · Gluten-free
No wheat, barley, or rye in the required list. Still read labels on sauces and oats.
Suits · Dairy-free
No milk ingredients in the required list.
Watch · Vegetarian
Meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish is in the required list.
Suits · Pregnancy
No alcohol, liver, or caffeine in the required list. Cook meat, eggs, and seafood through.
Suits · Gentle when sick
Mild, not fried, and not a very rich plate. Comfort, not a treatment.
Suits · Kid-friendly
Heat stays mild, and the required list has no alcohol or liver.
Calories by ingredient
Each number is that ingredient’s table calories, split across the servings.
- Pork tenderloin185 kcal
- Olive oil31 kcal
- Green cabbage22 kcal
- Garlic3 kcal
Glycemic load
Estimated glycemic load for this count: 1.7. The bands come from the ingredient table.
Portion
One serving is about 242 kcal. Two portions would be about 484 kcal if you want a fuller plate.
Allergens. None flagged in the required list.
Make it healthier
Use half the salt
Salt adds no calories in this table, so the calorie figure stays put while sodium falls.
About 242 kcal after the change.
Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.
The same plate with less sodium. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
Serve three-quarters of the plate.
The seasoning stays. The calories fall with the portion. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
| Nutrient | Amount | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 242 kcal | 12% |
| Protein | 36.5 g | 73% |
| Carbohydrate | 5.8 g | 2% |
| Fiber | 2 g | 7% |
| Total sugars | 2.6 g | 5% |
| Fat | 7.4 g | 9% |
| Saturated fat | 1.7 g | 9% |
| Cholesterol | 111 mg | 37% |
| Sodium | 878 mg | 38% |
| Potassium | 852 mg | 18% |
| Calcium | 46 mg | 4% |
| Iron | 1.8 mg | 10% |
| Magnesium | 58 mg | 14% |
| Zinc | 3.4 mg | 31% |
| Vitamin A | 0 mcg | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 32.9 mg | 37% |
| Vitamin D | 0.3 mcg | 2% |
| Vitamin E · estimate | 1.5 mg | 10% |
| Vitamin K | 50 mcg | 42% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 1.7 mg | 142% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.6 mg | 45% |
| Niacin (B3) | 11.4 mg | 71% |
| Vitamin B6 | 1.5 mg | 86% |
| Folate · estimate | 36 mcg | 9% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.9 mcg | 36% |
Low-confidence marks sit on glycemic load or on vitamins the USDA row left blank. Those vitamins are filled from a food-group reference and labeled as estimates. Reported USDA values, including zeros, are kept. 50 g is the daily value for added sugar. This figure is total sugar, including fruit and milk.
- A serving stays under about 420 calories, so it can sit inside an ordinary day.
- Protein is high enough to make the meal satisfying.
- Sodium is on the higher side. The swaps below pull it down.
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.
Equipment
- Oven
- Sheet pan
- Scale
- Tongs
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
Each line is stored in grams. The second amount is the other system, so a cup measure and the gram weight stay together.
Pork tenderloin4 pieces680 g
Green cabbage0.5 head320 g
Garlic3 cloves8 g
Kosher salt1 tbsp8 g
Olive oil1 tbsp15.38 ml
The first amount follows the unit toggle. The second is the other system. Both follow the serving count.
If you need to swap
- Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.. The same plate with less sodium.
- Serve three-quarters of the plate.. The seasoning stays. The calories fall with the portion.
Method
AI-generated photo.
1Set out a scale and the equipment for Kalua pork. Heat to 425°F / 218°C and give it 5 minutes so the surface is actually hot. Weigh pork tenderloin, green cabbage, garlic, kosher salt, olive oil. Kalua pork is cooked in Hawaii as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Salt the pork heavily and roast it covered until it shreds, then wilt cabbage in the juices. An imu pit and kiawe wood are the feast. A covered oven roast is the heat this kitchen has. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Heat 5 min
AI-generated photo.
2Kalua pork is cooked in united states. Also called kālua. Let roasted food sit on the pan for five minutes before you slice.
AI-generated photo.
3Cook the aromatics first, then the main ingredient for Kalua pork, until the edges take a little color. Cut pieces the same size so the center and the edge finish together.
Build the base
AI-generated photo.
4Add the remaining weighed foods and cook Kalua pork at 425°F / 218°C. Start checking at 44 minutes. Kalua pork is done when the outside is browned and the thickest center is cooked through for the protein on the plate. The heat was 425°F / 218°C.
Roast 44 min
- 🇺🇸 United StatesNorth Americaicon-united-states-kalua-pork-step-4
Kalua pork, step 5
Step 5 · Kalua pork
5Check the center of Kalua pork, not the edge. If the cue is not true yet, give it a few more minutes and look again. Opening a lid or an oven door early drops the heat.
- 🇺🇸 United StatesNorth Americaicon-united-states-kalua-pork-step-5
Kalua pork, step 6
Step 6 · Rest 5 min
6Rest Kalua pork for 5 minutes, then taste and adjust the salt. Serve it in the way it is eaten in united states, with the sauce or garnish that belongs to it. Film Kalua pork in this shot order and no other: a thermometer in the thickest center; batter or dough smoothed to the corners; citrus cut and squeezed off heat; oil or butter just starting to shimmer. Slate words for the editor: dusk, windowlight, quartz, kettle, gloss, frost, amber, sable, mortar, lacquer.
Rest 5 min
How you know it is done
Kalua pork is done when the outside is browned and the thickest center is cooked through for the protein on the plate. The heat was 425°F / 218°C.
If it goes wrong
- Kalua pork looks done at the edge and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue, not the color. Check the thickest piece and give it a few more minutes.
- Kalua pork turned out salty, dry, or watery. Weigh the salt and the liquid next time. Keep the heat at the temperature in the method, and stop when the doneness cue appears.
Storage
Cool Kalua pork, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze portions for a month if the dish reheats in a pot or oven. Reheat leftovers until steaming.
How this dish helps your daily life
- Kalua pork is one of the plates people ask for by name from Hawaii.
- Every ingredient is weighed, so the calorie, protein, and sodium lines come from the table rather than a guess.
Notes
Pregnancy. Cook meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood through. Skip alcohol if a bottle is listed, or cook it until the steam no longer smells of it. There is no raw-fish step.
From the kitchen. Salt the pork heavily and roast it covered until it shreds, then wilt cabbage in the juices. An imu pit and kiawe wood are the feast. A covered oven roast is the heat this kitchen has.
Allergens in the required list: none flagged.
Your stars and note
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.