The tamarind is like a drab plain Jane that’s easy to overlook, it’s brown jellylike fruit encased in homely tan pods that barely register as remotely appetizing. But turned into snacks, the unassuming fruit enraptures, revealing a tangy, vibrant flavor that’s addictive.
A favorite of many tamarind fans is a Thai hard candy made with tamarind extract, distributed in Hawaii under the Enjoy label. Each candy comes individually sealed in a gold wrapper bearing the name Tamarind Flavor, though packages of the stuff are labeled Tamarind Candy. The treats are the perfect pick-me-up for office workers contending with afternoon doldrums or hardworking students burning the midnight oil.
Find these packages of delight in Chinatown and at Don Quijote locations, where an 8-ounce bag goes for $3.99. (It’s best to call ahead to be sure they’re in stock.)
— Joleen Oshiro, Star-Advertiser
Benefit brunch features students’ local flavors
How does a bay shrimp and papaya arugula salad sound? How about baked Molokai sweet potatoes with a Hawaiian honey macadamia glaze, or Chinese roast chicken?
If your mouth is watering, head out to Leeward Community College from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Sunday for a grand brunch themed Island Flavors, where you’ll do much more than sate your appetite. The meal is also a benefit for culinary scholarships at the college.
And as you make your way through, look at the young faces cooking and serving food. They’re students from Leeward and high school culinary programs at Campbell, Kapolei, Leilehua, Pearl City, Mililani, Moanalua, Waianae and Waipahu. Some are likely to benefit from the funds raised that day.
The event will be held at the school’s Uluwehi Cafe and Lion Courtyard. Tickets are $18 presale by Saturday, $22 at the door; $9 at the door only for children ages 5 to 10; and free for ages 4 and under. For tickets and information, call 455-0298.
— Joleen Oshiro, Star-Advertiser
Ume candy offers sweet, tart taste
Say you grow up eating umeboshi so tart they make your eyes slam shut, but then you enjoy the sweet aftertaste, making the pickled plums irresistible.
It may not be practical to have at your desk a tub of ume requiring refrigeration, and the IT department would not be amused about the red residue that would be left all over the keyboard. Enter ume candy.
A wide variety of it is available at Asian markets, like the ones shown, from Marukai.
The Asahi brand Umeboshi Jyun Tablet candy is made with plum, perilla (shiso) and water. Candy generally involves sugar or a substitute, but these tablets are free of any sweetener. The box contains five foil sleeves of four tablets each. Not as tart as the real thing, though it leaves a sweet aftertaste.
The ingredient list for the Nobel brand Otokoume Nodo-Ame candy is much longer and not as completely natural, but it is the one I prefer. It is tart and sweet and so enjoyable that I was inspired to do some at-home, experimental mixology to create an ume-vodka martini. The cocktail is a work in progress. To be clear, the candy is alcohol-free.
At Marukai the tablet candy is $2.99 for a 0.38-ounce box, while packs of the Nobel brand candy are $1.89 for 1.48 ounces.
— Erika Engle, Star-Advertiser
