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FOOD FOR THOUGHT By
Wanda A. Adams
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A colleague shared a treasure with me earlier this week: A cookbook that belongs to her grandmother, Dorothy Chiya, stuffed with recipes and little notes. This cookbook is one I've never seen before, published the year I was born, 1951. It's called "Japanese Foods," and it was published by the Hui Manaolana International Institute of the YWCA of Honolulu, a Japanese women's organization. My friend noted the ads in this book are almost the best part, reminders of businesses that are long gone and making us curious about places we'll never see.
My personal favorite tidbit was an index card with a typed note on how to get the label printing out of rice bags: "Rub red soap on words and soak. Continue for 2 or 3 days and soak in Clorox." What, I wonder, was red soap?
Another treasure is an envelope full of hand-typed recipes on the letterhead of the Hilton Hawaiian Village. These include an apple crisp with crushed pineapple in it, a banana Aloha Oe cake and something called coffee mallow, a sort of coffee-flavored marshmallow cream — how typical of the period!
On a scrap of Pan Am notepaper, there are scribbled formulae for tsuyu dipping sauces: for tendon, 3 (parts) sake, 3 shoyu, 2 mirin, 1 sugar; for ton, 3 stock, 1 mirin, 1 shoyu.
Another recipe is for Yuzu Meshi: chicken with mushrooms and boiled chestnut pieces steamed with rice, then dressed with a citrus-shoyu sauce. Everything, absolutely everything except the cakes, calls for monosodium glutamate — referred to in the cookbook, charmingly, as "gourmet powder" to avoid using the brand name everyone knew, Aji-no-moto.
Here's that crazy 1950s dessert recipe, just for fun.
HAWAIIAN VILLAGE COFFEE MALLOW
Cut marshmallows into quarters with scissors (unless using mini-marshmallows). In the top of a double boiler over simmering water, stir together marshmallows and coffee. Cook until melted, then cool thoroughly. When coffee mixture is cool, whip cream until stiff. Fold whipped cream and coffee mixture together and add vanilla. Spoon into dessert glasses and chill. (Don't worry if the whipped cream softens; it will firm up in the refrigerator.)
Makes 4 (5-ounce) servings.
Variations: Instead of marshmallows, use a 7-ounce jar of marshmallow creme; mix cream and hot coffee together with electric mixer, and proceed with recipe. Line a decorative dish with split lady fingers, on bottoms and up the sides. Spread coffee mallow atop lady fingers. Chill until firm.
Next week, I'll share a recipe for a seasoned rice one-pot meal from "Japanese Foods."
Send recipes and queries to Wanda A. Adams, Food Editor, Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802. Fax: 525-8055. E-mail: wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com.
For more information about our 150th anniversary cookbook, call 535-8189 (message phone; your call will be returned). You can pre-order the cookbook online.
