LIGHT AND LOCAL
Mother's Hawaiian stew still 'ono without meat, some fat

By Carol Devenot

It wasn't the haole stew that we ate in the cafeteria, but Hawaiian stew. When I asked my mother why she called it Hawaiian, she said she learned the recipe form her Hawaiian neighbors. She said they made their stew to eat with poi (some people put the poi in the stew, to thicken it). Unlike cafeteria stew, hers was more of a soup with stew meat and vegetables and was so good on a cold day, especially with poi or rice. I remember how she would smash the garlic with the cleaver and sauté garlic, ginger and onions before adding the meat and vegetables.

This is a meatless, and therefore lower-fat, version of my mother's stew made with seitan (SAY-tan), a high-protein food made from boiled or baked wheat gluten, water and seasonings. It is amazing how much it resembles meat with its chewy texture; find it in health-food stores. Or shiitake mushrooms also can lend a meaty flavor and texture to stew.

I love to sprinkle on hot sauce for that extra zing. I can hear my Uncle Jim saying " 'Ono keia!" ("This is delicious!")

'Ono Keia Hawaiian Stew

• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and crushed
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 5 cups chicken or chicken-style vegetarian broth
• 1 (8-ounce) box seitan (wheat gluten)* or 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, whole or sliced
• 4 stalks celery with leaves, cut in 1-inch pieces
• 2 (6-ounce) cans tomato paste
• 3 medium carrots, peeled, cut in fourths
• 4 red potatoes, peeled, cut in half
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons sweet rice flour (mochiko)
• 2 tablespoons water

Sauté the garlic, ginger and onion in oil and 3 tablespoons of broth in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot on medium-high heat. If using seitan, cut into 1-inch pieces and add to broth. If using mushrooms, soak them in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes, then drain and add to broth. Add remaining broth, celery, tomato paste, carrots and potatoes. Bring stew to a boil, turn heat down to medium and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are fork-tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Combine rice flour and water and stir in to thicken; simmer to combine. If you prefer a thicker stew, add 3 tablespoons rice flour mixed in water.

Serves six.

Per serving: 176 calories, 10 grams protein, 1 gram fat, 33 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams dietary fiber: 22 percent protein, 72 percent carbohydrates, 7 percent fat.

Next column: baked chicken katsu, on April 21.

Want a local recipe lightened up? Write to: Light & Local, Taste Section, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; or taste@honoluluadvertiser.com.

Carol Devenot is a Kaimuki-raised kama'aina, a teacher and recipe consultant, and author of "Island Light Cuisine" (Blue Sea Publishing, paper, 2003). Learn more at islandlightcuisine.com.