Each year, the Chinese community looks forward to the Narcissus Queen Pageant, one of Hawaii’s oldest cultural events. The 66th contest will be held Saturday at Hawaii Theatre.
Tickets run $34 to $29 and are available at the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the theater’s box office. Call the chamber at 533-3181.
To get in the spirit of the event, we present recipes for a few favorite Chinese dishes.
Dry Garlic Spareribs
» 3 pounds spareribs
» 1-1/2 cups brown sugar
» 1-1/2 cups water
» 4 to 5 garlic cloves
» 4-1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
» 1-1/2 tablespoons dry mustard
Bring large pot of water to boil. Cut ribs into smaller sections. Add to boiling water, cover and simmer 30 minutes until tender.
To make sauce, mix brown sugar, water, garlic, soy sauce and mustard. Set aside.
Remove ribs from pot, and slice meat between bones. Clean pot. Add sauce ingredients and bring to boil. Add spareribs, bring back to boil and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Serves 6.
Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 660 calories, 33 g fat, 12 g saturated fat, 130 mg cholesterol, 500 mg sodium, 57 g carbohydrate, no fiber, 55 g sugar, 33 g protein
Curried Dumplings
» 3/4 pound ground beef (90 percent lean is best)
» 1/4 cup chopped water chestnuts
» 1 teaspoon grated ginger
» 1 to 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
» 1 tablespoon curry powder
» 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
» 1 tablespoon cornstarch
» 1 teaspoon kosher salt
» 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
» 1 medium red bell pepper, finely diced
» 1 stalk green onion, finely chopped
» 2 large eggs, divided
» 1 tablespoon water
» Vegetable oil for frying
» 40 round wonton or mandoo wrappers (about 3-1/2-inch diameter)
In large bowl, mix beef, water chestnuts, ginger, garlic, curry powder, soy sauce, cornstarch, salt, sesame oil, bell pepper, green onions and 1 egg.
In small bowl, whisk second egg and add 1 tablespoon water to make an egg wash.
Place a wonton wrapper in your hand. Lightly brush thin layer of egg wash around edges. Scoop 1 tablespoon filling into center. Fold wrapper snuggly around filling. Bottom of dumpling should be flat so it can stand up in pan.
Repeat, using all filling and wrappers. Cover finished dumplings and unused wrappers with damp towel.
In large nonstick pan over medium, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add dumplings to pan; do not crowd. Cook 2 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned. Using pan lid as splatter guard, carefully add 3 to 4 tablespoons water; cover.
Turn heat to medium-low and steam dumplings until most of water has evaporated (about 2 minutes). Repeat with remaining dumplings. Serve immediately. Serves 10.
Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 250 calories, 13 g fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 60 mg cholesterol, 400 mg sodium, 22 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 1 g sugar, 12 g protein
More Hawaiian Electric Co. recipes are available at www.hawaiianelectric.com.
