As we start thinking about Christmas gifts, here is one for a foodie — “Hawai‘i’s Community Cookbook,” with over 600 recipes from over 30 community cookbooks. As I read each recipe, I wondered if I was given the task to select which recipes from all the community cookbooks I would choose, I know I would have great difficulty!
Here are some recipes I tagged that caught my attention: Jin-Du Spareribs, Vietnamese Summer Rolls, Original Kauai Inn Banana Bread, Naan Bread, Orange Rolls, Hotel Hana Maui’s Lavosh, Queen Surf Banana Muffins, Gazpacho with Lana‘i Pineapple, Hilo-Style Chicken Gumbo, Vietnamese-Style Somen Salad, Cabbage Karashi Miso, Queen Emma’s Avocado Salad, Break da Mouth Spam Musubi, Wai‘oli Fried Chicken, Guava Cream Cheesecake, Leona’s Disappearing Mochiko Chocolate Chip Cookies, Okinawan Sugar Cookies, Willow’s Sky-High Coconut Cream Pie, Marinade for Wild Game, WOW WOW Sauce, Fresh Coconut Milk, Nagakura’s Mochi Rice, Shiso Rice, Cantonese-Style Sweet-Sour Pork, Moo Shoo Pork, Paniolo Biscuits, Lunch Wagon Curry Stew and Blueberry Mochi, just to name a few. Imagine all these recipes in one cookbook! Rush down to Basically Books to get your copy!
Hilo-Style Chicken Gumbo
From “Our Favorite Recipes from the Portuguese Heritage Club of Hamakua”
1/4 cup olive oil
3 to 4 slices bacon, divided
1/2 large onion, diced into 1-inch pieces
1 bell pepper, diced into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup cilantro (Chinese parsley)
3 tomatoes, diced
7 cups chicken stock
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 cups cooked rice
2 pounds chicken chunks
3 cups okra
Salt and pepper
4 Hawaiian chili peppers, diced
Saute bacon, onion, and pepper. Add parsley, tomatoes, and stock. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes.
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Sometimes names of dishes get my attention, like WOW WOW Sauce, which is served over cooked meats, steamed vegetables or fried tofu.
WOW WOW Sauce
Soooo good and sooo hot
“Hana Maui Recipes from Then to Now”
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup beef broth (canned broth may be used)
1 tablespoons wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon horseradish
Black pepper to taste
Melt the butter in a skillet. Saute the onions. Stir in flour and mix well. Add the broth slowly while mixing until the mixture is smooth. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
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Here’s a mochi dessert:
Blueberry Mochi
Kelly Tachibana
From “Cooking and Lovely Hula Hands,” Moana’s Hula Halau, Kaunakakai
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 large can evaporated milk
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (1 pound) box mochiko
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 can blueberry pie filling
Melt the butter, stir in the sugar. Add milk and mix well. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix mochiko and baking powder. Add to the milk mixture. Fold in blueberry pie filling. Bake in an oiled 9-inch x 13-inch pan at 350 degrees for one hour or until a toothpick test comes out clean.
Foodie bites
Hawaii Community College’s Culinary Program’s The Cafeteria and Da’Ohana Cafe are open from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. today through Thursday. Call 808-934-2581 for Da ‘Ohana Cafe and 808-934-2559 for The Cafeteria to place your take-out orders.
The 2022 KTA Super Stores Kona Coffee Recipe Contest will be held this Sunday at The Outrigger Kona Resort &Spa’s Convention Center. Late entries will be accepted till Wednesday. Check out the website for applications to enter.