Hawaii Cooks: An Okinawan Kitchen, Traditional Recipes with an Island Twist

An Okinawan Kitchen: Traditional Recipes with an Island Twist is the third in a series of cookbooks exploring Hawai‘i’s many ethnic cuisines from the viewpoint of those who grew up in the Islands and learned to make the dishes of their heritage, local-style. Their no-nonsense, home-style recipes are meant to be referred to again and again when cooking for your own family, friends, potlucks, and gatherings. Grant Sato learned how to cook from his grandmother, Jeanette Setsuko Akamine, who is the inspiration for this collection of recipes. He embraced the kitchen arts to become a professional chef and culinary instructor at Kapi‘olani Community College. What Grant learned from his grandmother, and what he endeavors to share, is that Okinawan cuisine is a vibrant one—with all the heartiness of pork cooked many ways, the brightness of bitter melon and eggplant, the purity of tofu prepared from scratch. This book is for those with Okinawan roots who seek to finally master classic rafute (braised pork) and goya champuru (bitter melon stir-fry). It is also for the adventurous cook willing to discover new takes on Okinawan flavors, such as char-broiled tuna with a bright sesame dressing. And for those who would just like a steaming bowl of Okinawan soba, or food lovers just curious about this tasty cuisine. Whatever your motivation, for dessert it’s andagi—an Okinawan doughnut so solid and tasty it anchors any meal. Now you can call it a day, Uchinanchu-style. Okinawan Basics Gomae / Ground Sesame Seed Dressing for Vegetables Contemporary Gomae Hirayachi / Chive Crêpes Hirayachi / Contemporary Chive Crêpe Jushi / Okinawan Rice Gruel Kanduba Jushi / Grandma Jeanette Akamine’s Okinawan Sweet Potato Leaf Rice Gruel Hawai‘i Shima Jushi / Hawai‘i Island Rice Gruel Tofu / Basic Firm Soy Bean Curd Okara / Stir-Fried Tofu Lees Shirae  / Crumbled Tofu Dressing Sushi Gohan / Okinawan Vinegared Rice for Sushi Shima Rakkyo / Okinawan Pickled Scallions Shirishiri / Fine Julienne Vegetable Stir Fry with Egg Goya Goya Tempura / Beer-Battered Bitter Melon Goya Nu Agimun or Goya Tempura / Batter Fried Bitter Melon Goya ni Numun / Bitter Melon Braised in Miso Broth Goya Champuru / Stir-Fried Bitter Melon with Tofu Goya Champuru / Contemporary Stir-Fried Bitter Melon with Tofu Goya Namashi / Pickled Bitter Melon Salad Goya Gomae / Bitter Melon Salad with Ground Sesame Seed Dressing Yasei Namashi / Pickled Bitter Melon Salad with Seaweed Goya Namashi to Tako / Pickled Bitter Melon with Cooked Octopus Pork Mimiga / Marinated Pig’s Ear Kubu Irichi / Simmered Sliced Pork, Tofu, and Seaweed Anda Insu or Andansu / Rendered Pork Miso Paste Tofu Tu Nasubi Unbushi / Stir-Fried Tofu, Eggplant and Pork Rafute / Okinawan Braised Sliced Pork Belly Muji Nu Shiru / Pork and Taro Stem Miso-Flavor Soup Ashi Tebichi / Pig’s Feet Soup Sokibuni No Shimun / Pork Spare Rib Soup Nakami Nu Shimun / Pork Tripe Soup Shishi Gobo Maki / Pork-Wrapped Burdock Kubu Maki / Simmered Kelp-Wrapped Pork and Burdock Fish Sakana no Miso Shiru / Fish Soup with Fermented White Soybean Paste Yaki Sakana To Umi Budoo / Grilled Fish with Sea Grape Salsa Kasutera Tamago Kamaboko / Fishcake with Egg Age Kamaboko / Fried Fish Cake Katsuo No Tataki Gomae / Char Broiled Skipjack Tuna in Sesame Dressing Sakana Nitsuke / Tuna Simmered in Soy Sauce Sakana Misozuke / Miso-Marinated Fish Noodles Okinawan Soba Noodles Udun Irichi / Fried Noodles Yakisoba / Fried Noodles Soki Udon / Thick Noodles in Pork Broth with Mustard Cabbage and Braised Pork Ribs Buta Udun Irichi / Fried Thick Noodles with Pork Vegetables & Salads Ta-Umu Ringaku / Sweetened Taro Hechima no Chukafu / Simmered Loofa Gourd Shirae / Crumbled Tofu Salad Nankwa Ubushi / Simmered Kabocha Pumpkin Togan no Nishime / Simmered Winter Melon Stew Papaya no Itaemono / Sautéed Papaya with Pork Tori Ni Shimun / Chicken Soup with Vegetables Nasubi Unbuchi / Braised Eggplant Karashina / Pickled Mustard Cabbage Desserts & Sweets Grandma’s Backyard Guava Jelly Nantu / Old-Fashioned Glutinous Rice Cake Nantu / Contemporary Classic Rice-Flour Cakes Benimo Nantu / Purple Sweet Potato Glutinous Rice-Flour Cake Andagi or Sata Andagi / Okinawan Fried Doughnuts Contemporary Okinawan Fried Doughnut Tumai Kuru Ohagi / Okinawan Sweet Potato Rice Cakes Tumai Kuru Tempura / Okinawan Sweet Potato Fritters Shikuasa Sorbet / Okinawan Lemon Sorbet Shikuasa Curd Tarte Okinawan Lemon Curd and Okinawan Sweet Potato Parfait Goyacha Crème Brûlée / Bitter Melon Tea Crème Brûlée Contemporary Creations Mini Okinawan Soft Tacos Makizushi Uchinanchu / Rolled Okinawan Sushi Chive Crêpe topped with Spinach in Sesame Dressing and Sliced Braised Pork Inari Uchinanchu / Trio of Stuffed Cone Sushi Goya Chawan Mushi to Mozuku Ankake / Bitter Melon Egg Custard with Gelatinous Seaweed Sauce Okinawan Eggs Benedict Karashina Natto Sarada / Pickled Mustard Cabbage and Fermented Soy Beans Stuffed Goya Braised in Miso Okinawan Waffle Author: Grant Sato