Girl’s Day or “Hinamatsuri” is on the third day of the third month, or March 3. It is when dolls that were given to the girl at birth and on her first birthday are put up for display. It is put up a week before March 3 and taken down at the end of the day of March 3, as it is believed if you leave the dolls out beyond that day, it is unlucky and may delay the girl’s marriage.
Displaying the dolls on Girl’s Day may have been started by the Chinese as they believed that the sins of the body and any misfortunes could be transferred to a doll and washed away by setting the doll adrift in a river.
So if you have young girls in your family, you might want to have some friends come over for a tea party. Everyone is dressed in their brightly colored kimonos, with a “kanzashi” or hair ornament in their hair. The kimono fold must be left over right for children and unmarried women. Barley tea may be served, along with an array of sweets such as mochi or yokan.
Girl’s Day Pink Coconut Mochi
Dry ingredients:
1 (1 pound ) box mochiko flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2-1/2 cups sugar
Wet ingredients:
1-3/4 cups water
1 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Less than 1/4 teaspoon red food coloring
Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. Add mixture slowly to dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Spray a 9-inch x 13-inch pan with cooking spray. Pour mochi into pan, seal with foil. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes on the bottom rack. Remove the foil and cool overnight. Cut with a plastic knife, and use a paper towel to absorb any excess oil before dusting with potato flour or cornstarch.
Notes: One pound box of mochiko contains 3 cups.
I use only non-petroleum derived food coloring. Look for the word “natural” or “non-petroleum” when buying food coloring. I also bring home food coloring when I am in foreign countries that do not allow the production of food coloring from petroleum.
Red 40, or Allura Red, is allowed in the United States and is associated with decreased concentration and attention in children. In America, it is found in fruit drinks, cereal like Fruit Loops, Fruity Pebbles, soda, Kool Aid, Ring Pops, Nerds, M&M’s, Skittles, as well as in children’s medications and children’s gummies. But the United Kingdom and Switzerland banned Red 40 due to health concerns.
Please note: The McDonald’s Strawberry Sundae in the United States has Red 40, but in the United Kingdom, its color comes solely from strawberries!
Here’s a recipe for “ichigo daifuku” or strawberry mochi:
Strawberry Mochi
8 medium fresh strawberries, stems removed
1 package koshian (sweet and smooth bean paste)
3/4 cup mochiko flour
3 tablespoons sugar
Potato starch for dusting
Mix mochiko, sugar, and 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water in a small bowl. Cover with foil. Bring 2 inches of water to a simmer in a large pot. Fit with a steamer basket; add bowl to basket. Cover pot with a tight-fitting lid. Steam until mixture is translucent and gummy, 20-22 minutes. Remove bowl and stir mixture until a thick, smooth, slightly sticky dough forms.
Cover the strawberries with the koshian.
Sprinkle a surface lightly with potato starch; cut into 8 pieces. Stretch a piece of mochi around a strawberry to encase; pinch together to close. Roll between your palms to smooth; brush off excess potato starch. Repeat with remaining mochi and strawberries.
Another great Japanese sweet for Girl’s Day is “dorayaki” or pancake sandwich.
Dorayaki
Makes 18
In a large bowl, mix together:
2 cups flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
In another bowl, beat well:
4 large eggs
Add:
2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon sake
3/4 cup water
Mix well. Combine dry ingredients and liquid mixture.
Grease the pancake griddle very lightly. On low heat, fry mixture 1 tablespoonful at a time. Turn over when bubbles form, and brown on both sides.
One package koshian or tsubushi-an
Place one tablespoon of tsubushi-an or koshian in the center of a warm pancake. Place another warm pancake on top and pinch with fingertips all around the edges to seal.
Foodie bites
Hawaii Community College’s Culinary program’s Cafeteria and Bamboo Hale are open from Tuesday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Please call 808-934-2591 and if you have reached their voicemail, leave your first and last name; phone number; date you would like to dine and which time slot you wish to dine: 11 a.m., 11:40 a.m., or 12:15 p.m.
Check out the Cafeteria’s menu at http://hawaii.hawaii.edu/cafeteria.
Email Audrey Wilson at audreywilson808@gmail.com.