Let’s Talk Food: Birthday celebrations in Hawaii

People in Hawaii have great ways to celebrate their birthdays.

First birthdays traditionally include luaus with poi, white rice, potato macaroni salad, sweet potatoes, ulu (if in season), opihi, ake, laulau, chicken long rice, squid luau, lomi salmon and kalua pig. If possible, an imu is the best way to cook the kalua pig, sweet potatoes and ulu.

For dessert, haupia is a must.

Japanese mark special birthdays to ward off unlucky numbers of critical ages. Women’s “yakudoshi” are celebrated at age 19 and 33. At 19, she enters adulthood. At 33, a celebration is hosted because 3 is “san,” so 33 is “sanzan” and means “hopeless miseries.” For men, their “yakudoshi” is celebrated at 25 and 42.

At 25, the man should be ready for marriage and should have established his career.

At 42, a celebration is hosted because 4 is “shi,” meaning “death,” and “Ni” is the word for 2. Put together, “shini” means “to die.” But there is confusion here as in Japan it is believed a person is a year old at birth, so “yakudoshi” should be celebrated when the man is 24 and 41 years old.

At the age of 60, “kanreki” celebrates the man’s second childhood. In ancient times, it was thought if you made it to age 60 you should wear a red cap, a “chanchanko,” or red vest, and a red seat cushion to mark his completing a full cycle of the 12-completed Chinese zodiac calendar. Red symbolizes youth, “aka-chan” is the word for baby, and “aka” is red.

Beiju means “rice longevity” because the character, or “kanji,” for “bei” is “rice” and it takes 88 days to grow rice; therefore, there is celebration on a man or woman’s 88th birthday.

Gold is the color at this age and in Japan a gold zabuton (cushion to sit on the floor) is traditional. Foods for the celebration include sekihan, or red sticky rice, with azuki beans and whole tai, or sea bream, with the head and tail.

My friend, Harold Ohata, celebrated his beiju with his Correa family cooking wonderful Hawaiian cuisine of poi, laulau, chicken long rice, squid luau, lomi salmon and kalua pig.

With a large family of eight children, the Correas divided up jobs so everyone did their share of cooking.

One of the dishes was a sushi cake that was purchased from Suisan Fish Market. It took care of the need for a cake, as well as a great dish with poke and rice.

You can be creative when making a sushi cake and make a poke cake or a California roll sushi cake.

Smoked Salmon Sushi Cake

Serves: 8-10

Add in a small bowl:

2 eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons sugar

Oil and heat a medium skillet and pour some of the egg mixture to make a thin omelet. Make more thin omelets until the eggs are gone. Place the omelets on top of each other on a cutting board and cut in half, then slice into thin slices.

In a small bowl, mix together:

1/2 cup imitation crab meat

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Place a plastic wrap on the inside of a round 8-inch cake pan. Spread on bottom of pan:

1/4 pound smoked salmon (cold smoked)

Have ready:

4 cups prepared sushi rice

Place 1/3 of sushi rice on top of the salmon and flatten the rice. Spread over rice:

1/2 small cucumber, cut into thin strips, or one avocado, thinly sliced

Place imitation crab mixture over the rice.

Place 1/3 of sushi rice on top and flatten the rice.

Spread egg strips on top of rice, but leave 2 tablespoons for garnish.

Place the remaining 1/3 of sushi rice on the egg strips. Cover the rice with plastic wrap and put a weight on the top. After 10 minutes, cover the cake pan with a large plate and turn over. Remove the cake pan and plastic wrap. Garnish the center with egg strip garnish.

I made this cake for my niece Carla’s son Tenzin’s third birthday last week. It is moist and tender and not too difficult.

Chocolate Birthday Cake

Makes: One three-layer, 8-inch round or one 9-by-13-inch cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line three 8-inch round cake pans or one 9-by-13-inch cake pan. Grease pan and dust with cocoa.

Whisk together:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

In a medium bowl, mix together until chocolate is dissolved:

1 1/4 cup boiling water

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1/2 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat until light and fluffy, about 5-6 minutes:

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

When fluffy, add one by one:

3 large eggs, at room temperature

Beat in:

1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Reduce speed (or I hand mix with a rubber spatula by folding gently) and add flour mixture in three additions, alternately with chocolate mixture in two additions. Do not over mix.

Bake three 8-inch pans for 20 minutes or 9-by-13-inch pan for 33-35 minutes. Be sure the center bounces back and is fully cooked. Once you remove it from the oven, it will drop if not cooked through.

Frost when cooled.

Email me at audreywilson 808@gmail.com if you have questions.