Posted on: Wednesday, January 26, 2005

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Recalling old-time dishes

By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor

We have heard from several homesick Mainland Islanders who remember old-time dishes they'd like to replicate — or at least talk story about.

• Kimo Ahia of Washington wonders if anyone else remembers a common lu'au dessert in the days before cake and haupia became the norm. It is called ko'elepalau or palau, he wrote: "a blend of warm mashed sweet potato mixed with coconut milk, served in a paper cup so you could squeeze it out while eating! Fun stuff for kids! I have tried several ratios but would like to be authentic."

• Su Conahan of Portland, Ore., whose sister lives here, is trying to duplicate Malia's Old-Style Portuguese Milk Bread, which she used to buy when she lived in Seattle. It's soft-textured, not as sweet as pâo doçe. Ingredients included flour, potato, sugar, butter, evaporated milk, eggs, yeast, salt and water.

• Kimo Watanabe of West Bountiful, Utah, is looking for Pipi Stew, Parker Ranch-style.

And from the Islands, these requests.

• Lehua Henion wrote to say a recent story on waffles got her thinking of KC Drive Inn and their waffle dogs. "Yup, went to eat on Friday with my Mom. Request: Where can we buy the waffle iron within which one puts the hot dog?" Does anyone know?

• A reader who wished to remain anonymous is looking for a walnut refrigerator-cookie recipe taught by Mrs. Yamashita in home economics class at Washington Intermediate in the 1960s. She also wants brown gravy stew as made at Ala Wai Elementary School in the early 1960s, and the beef vegetable soup served at Ala Wai in place of juice and cookies on cold, rainy days. She remarks — and rightly, I think — that she can't be sure the recipes were as good as she recalls. "Perhaps it's because these food memories are also wrapped around a terrific school, great teachers, childhood friends."

• Still looking for the French apple pie recipe from Central Intermediate in the 1960s (Rene Mitsunaga); soft, fluffy-textured butter cake with chocolate frosting from grade-school days (May Yamamoto); homestyle chicken with golden sauce from Kamehameha Schools (Denise Vidinha).

Several people called to react to a recent story on double boilers:

• Gary Wild, who formerly worked with the now-gone Hawai'i Newspaper Agency, wrote to say he recently found the double boiler of his dreams: A clear glass Pyrex model, which turned up in an antique shop in Oregon. "Perfect size for many things. I like it because you can see the water level and the sauce or food you are cooking. Great for potatoes and things like creamed onions." He suggests trying eBay.

• Somebody else — darned if I can find the e-mail — said they had improvised a double boiler by using a rice cooker liner on top of a pot of water. Ho, ka smaht!

Send recipes to: Wanda Adams, Taste Section, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com; or fax 525-8055.