By Request

By Kekoa Catherine Enomoto

Wednesday, May 6, 1998

By Ken Sakamoto, Star-Bulletin
Foster Garden volunteers prepared various dishes with
edible hibiscus leaves, including, clockwise from top left,
palusami, salad with salmon and tomatoes, lau lau, sushi,
a salad with walnuts and stuffed hibiscus leaves.

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Hibiscus blossoms
as food

Leaves of the edible hibiscus
can be used in favorite recipes

CUTTINGS of popular Sunset red edible hibiscus, as well as seersucker-surfaced green edible hibiscus are featured at Saturday's Foster Garden spring plant sale. Cuttings cost $1 each.

Walter Tonai of Waialua asked for tips, uses and recipes for the edible hibiscus. The tasty, protein-packed, easy-to-grow plant is native to Angola, Africa, and cultivated and eaten throughout the South Pacific.

To cook edible hibiscus leaves, boil water. Add leaves, turn off heat and cover 5 minutes. Prolonged cooking and breaking of leaves causes a slippery substance to appear as with okra.

Add whole leaves to soups, stews, laulau, palusami, long rice and tempura. Use them in a stir-fry. Chop leaves into meatloaf, dim sum, pot stickers and pancakes. Serve tender young leaves in salads and, when steamed, to infants 6 months and older.

Recently Foster Garden volunteers prepared edible hibiscus dishes for their regular Tuesday meeting. A sampling follows of their creations follows.

For hibiscus hunters and plant lovers, the weekend sale offers flowering plants, fruit trees, ground covers and other plants 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Foster Garden. Admission is free. Call 537-1708 for more information.

Stuffed hibiscus

By Maureen Crotty

10 to 12 edible hibiscus leaves, micro-wilted 1-1/2 to 2 minutes
1 can tomato soup

Filling:
1/2 to 1 pound lean ground beef
1 round onion, chopped
1/2 cup cooked rice (or 1/2 cup tofu, crumbled and drained)
1/2 cup water chestnuts, chopped
1 egg
1 teaspoon chili powder

Saute beef and onion; drain. Combine filling ingredients. Wrap equal portions of filling in each leaf; secure with toothpick. Combine soup and equal amount of water; pour over stuffed leaves. Microwave 10 minutes; or bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees; or simmer, covered, 30 minutes.

Approximate nutritional analysis per roll, based on 1 pound beef and 10 rolls: 215 calories, 11 total grams fat, 3.5 grams saturated fat, 50 milligrams cholesterol, 260 milligrams sodium.*

Thai salad

Garnishes of bacon bits, chopped hard boiled egg and unsalted walnuts

Salad:
Manoa lettuce
Young edible hibiscus leaves, slivered
Mint leaves
Fresh basil

Dressing:
1 cup water
1/2 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar (other than Heinz brand preferred)
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon seedless chile-garlic sauce
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon shredded carrot

To prepare dressing, in a saucepan combine dressing ingredients, except carrot; cook on medium heat until mixture boils. Cool, add carrot and refrigerate. Makes 20 (2-tablespoon) servings dressing.

To assemble salad, toss salad greens with dressing, then garnish and serve.

Approximate nutritional analysis per 2-tablespoon serving: 45 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, 290 milligrams sodium.*

Chinese fishcake wrapped
with edible hibiscus

By Phyllis Yuen

5 large edible hibiscus leaves

Filling:
1 pound Chinese fish cake
2 tablespoons chopped chop-suey yam (jicama)
1 tablespoon grated carrot
1 tablespoon chopped green onion

Combine all filling ingredients. Wrap about 2 tablespoons of fish-cake mixture in each leaf; secure with toothpick. Steam rolls about 5 minutes; do not overcook. Makes enough filling for 24 rolls.

Approximate nutritional analysis per wrapped roll: 80 calories, 2 total grams fat, no saturated fat, no cholesterol, 170 milligrams sodium.*

Send queries along with name and phone number to:
By Request, Honolulu Star-Bulletin Food Section,
P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Or send e-mail to features@starbulletin.com

Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the Body & Soul section indicates calculations by Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts, a nutritional consulting firm.