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By Request
Betty Shimabukuro
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Yams are key to Okinawan snack food
THIS IS the week we think about things Okinawan. Labor Day weekend approaches and that always brings the Okinawan Festival to Kapiolani Park.
And that brings to Maryilene Chun's mind a treat she used to buy at the festival -- Nmu Muchi. "Used to buy" is the operative phrase here, as Nmu Muchi is no longer a festival staple. "Too much work," a festival organizer told me. This has left Chun Muchi-deprived and looking for a recipe.
Nmu Muchi is much like poi mochi, but made with mashed yams that are mixed with mochiko (sweet rice flour), then formed into balls and deep-fried. They are pleasingly crunchy on the outside like andagi (the famed Okinawan fried doughnut), but with a chewy, mochi-like center. They're normally served in a set of four on a stick.
The process for making them isn't complicated, but involves continuous fry-work, and with andagi already on the festival menu, that's probably enough hot oil for one event.
THIS RECIPE is adapted from "Okinawan Mixed Plate" published by Hui o Laulima, the women's auxiliary of the United Okinawan Association of Hawaii. I cut the original recipe in half, a more practical approach for home use, as you have to eat these hot. Unless you're frying for a crowd, you won't be able to eat very many before they're too cool to be yummy anymore.
One note: If the pot you use to heat your oil is too shallow, the mochi balls might stick to the bottom. To unstick, nudge them with a pair of tongs.
For more on the Okinawan Festival, see "The Electric Kitchen," in today's Features section.
Nmu Muchi
1 15-ounce can yams (Trappey's brand preferred)
1/2 pound mochiko
1/2 cup sugar
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Drain yams; reserving liquid. Mash yams. Add sugar and reserved liquid; mix well. Add mochiko and mix until well-combined.
Preheat oil to 360 degrees.
Form dough into 2-inch balls and drop into oil. Fry about 2 minutes, until golden. Drain on paper towels. Makes about 20.
Nutritional information unavailable.
Cannon Club hunt
Jackie Speigel is looking for recipes from the Army's old Cannon Club at Diamond Head. She's got one that she's willing to share, but she's nostalgic for many of the old dishes off the menu.
If you have any in your collection, please get in touch.
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Send queries along with name and phone number to: "By Request," Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana, No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813. Or send e-mail to
bshimabukuro@starbulletin.com