The Electric Kitchen: Celebrate Okinawan culture online

This year, the Hawaii United Okinawa Association brings an exciting lineup of Okinawan food, culture and entertainment right into your home with a virtual festival that runs Sept. 4 to 6.

Events include cooking demonstrations and live performances. A virtual marketplace will offer a selection of Okina­wan foods and cultural items. For details: okinawanfestival.com.

This week’s recipes come compliments of our friends at the association.

TUMAI KURU CROQUETTE

• 2 pounds Okinawan sweet potato, boiled and peeled (2 cups mashed)
• 1 pound Russet potato, boiled and peeled (1 cup mashed)
• 8 ounces imitation crab meat, shredded
• 1/2 cup finely chopped round onion
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 large eggs, divided
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 kamaboko (Japanese steamed fish cake), finely chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1 package panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
• Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Mash together potatoes. Add crab, onion, salt, pepper, 1 egg, flour, kama­boko and green onion. Mix thoroughly. Shape into oval patties.

Beat remaining eggs. Dip patties into beaten eggs, coat with panko and deep-fry until golden brown. Makes about 18 patties.

>> Variation: Replace imitation crab with 2 cups seasoned, cooked and diced chicken.

Approximate nutritional information, per patty: 200 calories, 11 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 45 mg cholesterol, 300 mg sodium, 19 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 1 g sugar, 6 g protein.

EASY HAWAIIAN-STYLE OKINAWAN PORK

• 1 cup shoyu
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon miso
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons sake
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 6 pounds pork butt, fat trimmed and cut into thirds

To large pot, add shoyu, water, miso, sugar and sake. Bring to a boil and cook until sugar and miso dissolve. Add ginger and garlic; cook another 5 minutes.

Add pork, cook on high until sauce comes to a boil again. Lower heat to medium, cover and simmer 2 hours. Remove pork from sauce, slice and serve. Serves 12.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 570 calories, 36 g fat, 12 g saturated fat, 150 mg cholesterol, greater than 1,500 mg sodium, 15 g carbohydrate, no fiber, 13 g sugar, 45 g protein.

GOYA NU NIMUN

• 1 pound bitter melon
• Salt, to taste
• 2 pieces aburage (Japanese deep-fried tofu)
• 1 pound pork
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sake
• 3 tablespoons shiro miso (white miso), divided

Cut bitter melon in half lengthwise, remove seeds. Sprinkle with salt; let stand 20 minutes. Rinse and drain well. Slice into 1- to 1-1/2-inch pieces.

Blanch aburage in hot water to remove oil; cut into 3/4-inch pieces.

Place pork in pot covered with water; bring to rolling boil. Drain; rinse.

Add 3 cups water to pork in pot and bring to a boil. Continue to boil 30 minutes. Remove pork and cool, saving stock. Cut pork into 1/2-inch squares.

In pot, combine pork, 2 cups stock, sugar, sake and half of miso. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low; simmer pork until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Add aburage and bitter melon and cook about 10 minutes. Add remainder of miso and cook additional 1 to 2 minutes. Serves 5.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 300 calories, 21 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, no cholesterol, 500 mg sodium, 9 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 6 g sugar, 19 g protein.

VIRTUAL FESTIVAL

At okinawanfestival.com:

>> Sept. 4: Webinar on 120 years of Okinawan immigration to Hawaii, 5 to 7 p.m.

>> Sept. 5, 6: Cooking demos; song, dance and taiko acts; cultural dress presentations, 2 to 5 p.m.

>> Also: Online market­place offers food and merchandise; prerecorded performances will be available for viewing

More Hawaiian Electric Co. recipes are available at hawaiianelectric.com.