The Hawai‘i Book of Rice

Auntie Lei’s “Da Kine” Stir-Fry Rice Leipua Ko, Breakfast Chef, Nāpili Kai Beach Resort, Maui

My friends, family and experiences I In a large, very hot skillet, add the had growing up on Maui came into sesame oil, garlic, ham, shrimp and play when I was creating this recipe. bacon. Cook until the shrimp is pink. It includes seasonings associated with Add rice and mix well. Add shoyu, several ethnic groups—Portuguese, Chi- sriracha, oyster sauce and 1 tablespoon nese, Japanese, Filipino and Thai. Fried of furikake. Mix well. Add the eggs, rice usually includes a lot of ingredients green onions and mushrooms. Mix well mixed together in one great dish. This and cook for a few minutes. Add salt and fried rice also reflects Hawai‘i’s wonder- pepper if desired. Sprinkle the remain- ful melting pot. ing 1 tablespoon furikake over the rice before serving. Serves 6 to 8. 2 tsp. sesame oil 2 tsp. minced garlic ½ c. chopped ham Rice was used as money in medieval ½ c. chopped shrimp Japan. Retainers and attendants of ½ c. chopped and cooked bacon feudal lords, including the lower classes 3 c. cooked white rice of samurai, were paid in koku (about ½ c. shoyu 330 pounds of rice), enough to feed one 1 Tbsp. sriracha (Thai hot sauce) person for a year. Circulation of gold, 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce silver and copper currency began dur- 2 Tbsp. furikake ing the 1600s, and gradually replaced 4 eggs, scrambled rice as the primary means of exchange. ½ c. chopped green onions Even so, villagers living in remote ½ c. sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms rural areas continued to pay taxes and salt and pepper to taste wages with rice through the late 1930s.

112 The Hawai‘i Book of Rice

Pineapple Rice Cake with Mango Frosting Craig Erickson, Executive Chef, Nāpili Kai Beach Resort, Maui

This recipe is a variation of a simple cake Cook the rice in the pineapple juice until made by a coworker from Vietnam. He it is tender. Remove from heat and cool. told me people there eat this cake as a Prepare the cake mix according to pack- side dish; it uses rice as a savory ingredi- age directions. Pour batter equally into ent. I adjusted the recipe to make it a two oiled and floured 8-inch round pans dessert. The rice absorbs flavors really that are 1½ inches deep. Sprinkle the well; boiling it in pineapple juice adds cooled rice evenly over the cake batter. moisture and density. The first time I Using the back of a spoon, press the rice served it, everyone asked, “What are into the batter. Bake the cakes accord- the red spots in the cake?” They had ing to package directions. Remove from never seen rice used in a dessert before. the oven and cool on a rack. Put cream The combination of the rice, the buttery cheese and butter into bowl of electric cake, the pineapple effervescence and the mixer and beat until light and fluffy. mango icing is fantastic. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add the mango puree and mix 1 c. red rice (Colusari or Bhutanese) until completely incorporated. Trim the 3 c. pineapple juice top of the cakes to flatten if necessary. 1 18.5-oz. box yellow cake mix Put ¾ cup of the frosting on the top of 1 lb. cream cheese one of the cakes and spread evenly. Place ½ lb. unsalted butter the other cake on top and put ¾ cup of 1½ c. powdered sugar frosting on top of the cake and spread 1 c. mango puree (mash mango chunks in a evenly. Spread the remaining frosting blender to make puree) around the outside of the cake. Coat the 2 c. shredded coconut outside of the cake with the shredded coconut. Serves 10.

176 Sweets

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