Come join the many festivities being lined up by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii to pay tribute to the arrival of the Year of the Dragon. The Narcissus Festival Pageant on Jan. 7 is a night filled with beauty as 15 lovely contestants vie for the Narcissus court titles. The Coronation Ball on Jan. 28 celebrates the coronation of the 63rd Narcissus Festival queen and court and promises to be an evening filled with pageantry, glamour, food, wine and dance.

Bring the whole family to enjoy the fun and excitement of the Chinatown New Year Celebrations in Chinatown and the Chinatown Cultural Plaza on Jan. 13 and 14. Firecrackers, drums, cymbals and gongs will echo in the night as everyone celebrates the arrival of the Chinese Lunar New Year. Partake in traditional foods and witness exciting cultural entertainers. The festivities’ sights and sounds and delicious foods are sure to delight both young and old.

The Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii is sharing these delicious recipes by "The Pickle Lady," Lenora Ching, author of "The Pickle Lady’s Pickle Passion Cookbook." Go to www.pickle-passion.com to get a copy.

Kung hee fat choy!

CHAR SIU

6- to 8-pound pork butt, boneless and cut into 1 1/2-inch strips

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon Chinese five spice

1 teaspoon red food coloring (optional)

1 small (about 3 tablespoons) nam yue cake, mashed (fermented red bean curd available in Asian groceries)

1 tablespoon Hawaiian salt

1/4 cup garlic, minced

Place all ingredients into large bowl and mix well until everything is incorporated. Place meat into large sealed plastic bag and marinate in refrigerator for 1 to 3 days (mixture can also be frozen until ready to use).

Place one of oven shelves in the middle of the oven and a second near the bottom. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line large baking sheet with foil and place cooking rack on top. Lay meat on cooking rack and place baking sheet on the top oven shelf. Fill 9-by-13-inch baking pan half full with water and place on bottom shelf.

Cook meat 1 hour, turning every 15 to 20 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven 15 minutes prior to end of cook time. Remove rack and return meat to pan in its drippings and cook in oven until gravy thickens and reduces. Cool and serve. Serves 12 to 16.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving (based on 12 servings): 450 calories, 14 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 145 mg cholesterol, 750 mg sodium, 35 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 34 g sugar, 45 g protein

Approximate nutritional information, per serving (based on 16 servings): 350 calories, 11 g fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 110 mg cholesterol, 550 mg sodium, 26 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 25 g sugar, 33 g protein

GOK JAI (HALF MOON)

1 cup dung mein fun (wheat starch found in Asian groceries)

1/4 cup tapioca flour (found in Asian groceries)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup boiling water

Siu Mai filling (see recipe below)

Vegetable oil for forming/handling dough

In a small bowl, combine dung mein fun, tapioca flour and salt; set aside. Place water into small pot and bring to boil and add oil. Remove pot from heat and stir in dry ingredients with wooden spoon until white powder lumps are incorporated. Cover mixture and let sit 15 minutes until cool. Remove dough from pot. With oiled hands, knead 15 minutes. Pinch off 1 1/2-inch clumps of dough and squeeze into balls (about 15 balls).

Brush working surface and rolling pin with oil and roll each ball into thin circle about 3 to 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Place 1 tablespoon of filling into center and bring edges together to form half moon-crescent shape. Pinch and crimp edges to seal.

Grease steamer rack with vegetable or peanut oil and overlap gok jai in one layer on rack. Lightly brush gok jai with oil and steam 20 minutes. Cool and serve. Makes 15 pieces.

Approximate nutritional information, per piece: 150 calories, 10 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 35 mg cholesterol, 250 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 0 g sugar, 6 g protein

SIU MAI

1 pound ground pork

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ginger, peeled and minced

1/2 cup green onion, chopped

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon cornstarch

20 siu mai wrappers (round dim sum skins, available at Chinatown noodle shops) or 1 12-ounce package won ton wrappers

Mix all ingredients except dim sum skins in bowl. Place about 2 tablespoons of filling on center of each skin. Gather up edges of wrapper and gently pleat so that it forms basket shape, with top of filling exposed. Place siu mai into steamer, making sure they do not touch each other or they will stick together when cooked. Steam 20 minutes over high heat until cooked. Makes 20 pieces.

Approximate nutritional information, per piece: 120 calories, 6 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 200 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 0 g sugar, 6 g protein

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More Hawaiian Electric Co. recipes are available at www.heco.com.