A celebration of the harvest season and the autumn moon is the focus of the next event at Hawaii’s Plantation Village from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
The Harvest Festival will feature foods from four ethnic groups that celebrate the annual harvest in unique ways.
The Portuguese offer produce to their church in the form of a charola, a wire structure with fruit, eggs and wine attached, during the Holy Ghost Festival in June. Portuguese vegetable soup will represent the group.
The Japanese commemorate the season’s end with family reunions and a great feast that features round foods, which symbolize family unity and harmony. From the Japanese menu: tsukimi udon with a cracked egg. (The egg resembles the full moon.)
The Chinese community observes the mid-autumn festival with a big feast and an offering of fruits to the Moon Goddess. A Chinese dish of poached chicken will be sold.
The Korean Chuseok is a time to celebrate a fruitful harvest with family and welcome the spirits of ancestors. Korean taro soup will be part of the village’s menu lineup.
There will also be a tasting of Filipino palitao, a rice-cake dumpling sprinkled with sugar and shredded coconut.
At noon, Clement Bautista will present an oral history titled “Hawaii Masters of Escrima.” Escrima is a Filipino martial art that incorporates sticks and knives.
The village is at 94-695 Waipahu St. Call 677-0110.
Toni Lee, the village’s Korean heritage chairwoman, shares her family recipe for taro soup. At the event, she will demonstrate the dish at 10:30 a.m. and discuss its health benefits.
KOREAN TARO SOUP
By Toni Lee
- 1 pound taro
- 8 cups rice water (reserved from washing rice before cooking)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/2 pound beef brisket, patted dry with paper towel and thinly sliced
- Dash black pepper
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 6 cups water
- 1/2 pound turnip, cut into 1-by-1-by-1/4-inch squares
- 8-inch piece dashi konbu, sliced thinly crosswise
- 1 leek, cut into 1-inch pieces
- Shoyu, to taste
Peel taro while wearing gloves (to prevent skin irritation). Bring rice water to boil and add taro. Cook 10 minutes.
Rinse and drain taro under running water. Discard rice water. Cut taro into bite-size pieces and set aside.
Heat sesame oil in frying pan and stir-fry beef brisket. Add black pepper and garlic. Transfer brisket to a pot and add 6 cups water and turnip slices. Bring to a boil and cook 10 minutes.
Add taro, konbu and leek. Season with shoyu. Return soup to a boil. Remove from heat. Serves 4.
Nutritional information unavailable.
