Arare Cookies

(Japanese Rice Cracker Cookies)

October 1: Homemade Cookies Day

In a previous post in pidgin (Hawaiian creole language), we put mochi crunch in popcorn to make Hawaiian hurricane popcorn. We also add arare in cookie dough to make a uniquely-flavored “salty-sweet-crumbly-crisp” cookie.

Mochi crunch and arare are often used interchangeably but both refer to the bite-sized Japanese rice crackers. Japanese immigrants brought them to Hawaii when they came to work on the sugar plantations. Locals love these snacks made of glutinous rice and soy sauce and eat them straight out of the package or use them as an ingredient in other foods, such as hurricane popcorn and arare cookies.

Make the most of mochi crunch and bake a big batch of arare cookies for Homemade Cookie Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Honolulu Star-Bulletin)

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 tablespoon shoyu (soy sauce)
• 1 egg
• 3 cups flour
• 1 ¾ cup rice cereal (we used Kellogg’s Rice Krispies)
• 1 ½ cups arare mochi crunch (we used Tomoe brand), crushed

Directions

In a zipper-top plastic bag, place the arare and crush into crumbs with a rolling pin. Set aside while preparing the cookie dough.

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the brown sugar. Mix in the baking soda, vanilla and soy sauce.

Beat in the egg. Gradually add the flour. Fold in the rice cereal. Add the crushed arare. Mix until all the ingredients are incorporated into the dough.

Pinch out one-inch balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (optional). Space them about two inches apart. Slightly flatten each ball. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and let cool for five minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack. Cool completely to a crisp. Store in an airtight container. Yield: Approximately 6 dozen cookies.

Notes

• Mahalo nui loa to Islander’s Daddy for buying the arare at the Pearl Harbor commissary for us.
• Arare may be found in Asian food markets on the mainland. Make sure that the mochi crunch are still crisp and not stale by checking the manufacturing date on the package.
• Search our blog for other homemade cookie recipes.

Beer and Sauerkraut Fudge Cupcakes

with Chocolate Beer Frosting

October: Oktoberfest

Islander was the matron of honor at her friend Lisa L.’s wedding in Germany a few years ago. She appreciated how Lisa observed several cultural customs, such as polterabend (plate smashing), baumstamm sägen (log sawing) and “bride kidnapping”. It was fun and memorable to experience a traditional German wedding!

Oktoberfest was originally a royal wedding celebration in Bavaria, Germany, for Crown Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig I) who married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen in 1810. The citizens partied for several days in their honor and the anniversary has evolved into the world-famous festival, making Munich a popular drinking destination. German immigrants brought their beer and culture to America. Now several communities and groups around the country host Oktoberfests.

For a Deutschland-inspired dessert to share at German ethnic events, we made unusual cupcakes called Schokoladenkleine kuchen mit Bier und Sauerkraut. They are surprisingly sweet, moist and fudgy, with a slightly crisp texture from the sour cabbage. And the chocolate beer frosting is delicious and a creamy complement to the cupcakes.

Observe Oktoberfest by baking beer and sauerkraut fudge cupcakes with chocolate beer frosting. Prosit!

Recipe

(Adapted from Food Network)

For the cupcakes

• 10 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 ¼ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup dark beer
• 2/3 cup sauerkraut
• 1 cup raisins (optional)

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar. Stir in the vanilla. Beat in the eggs.

In a separate bowl, combine the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and baking soda. Gradually add this mixture, alternating with the beer, to the butter mixture. Blend until smooth. Drain the liquid from the sauerkraut. Fold the sauerkraut into the chocolate batter. Stir in the raisins.

Scoop the batter 2/3 full into cupcake paper liners. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: Approximately 2 ½ dozen cupcakes.

For the frosting

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• pinch of salt
• 5 tablespoons (1/3 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3-4 cups powdered sugar, divided use
• 1/3 cup dark beer

Directions

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the salt. Add one cup of powdered sugar and the cocoa powder and blend until smooth. Pour in a little beer, alternating with the remaining powdered sugar.

Blend until the frosting is smooth and the desired spreadable consistency is reached. Frost the cupcakes. Decorate with mini Oktoberfest flags (optional).

Notes

• Oktoberfest actually starts in late-September and lasts 16 days, ending around the first weekend of October. Learn more about the original Oktoberfest in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, by visiting the official website.
• For a less “stringy” sauerkraut texture in the cupcakes, finely cut up the cabbage before mixing into the batter.
• For more German recipes, see our previous posts for apfel strudel, Black Forest cake, German-style potato salad, stollen (fruitcake) and wienerschnitzel. Search our blog for additional dishes from Deutschland.

Furikake Mahi Mahi

October: National Seafood Month

Islander’s brother, Kahuna, often got together with fellow Hawaii club members at his university in the Pacific Northwest. The homesick students would share their favorite island foods with each other, “talk story,” jam on their ukuleles and have impromptu hula dances. It was a nice study break and a chance to connect with others in their culture.

Kahuna would cook his favorite furikake mahi mahi (crispy fried fish seasoned with salt, sesame and seaweed). It was always a popular potluck dish on the mainland as it reminded Hawaii “expatriates” of the “onolicious” furikake mahi mahi plate lunches back home.

Occasionally, Kahuna gets requests to cook the dish for friends and family here on the mainland. We asked him to prepare furikake mahi mahi for our blog post to commemorate National Seafood Month. Mahalo nui  loa to Kahuna for being a guest chef on HI Cookery.

Recipe

(Adapted from Hawaiian Electric Company)

For the furikake mahi mahi

• Mahi mahi fillets
• 1 egg white
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup milk
• ¼ cup flour
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 1 cup nori komi furikake seasoning
• 1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
• ¼ cup peanut oil

Cut the mahi mahi into 3-ounce size fillets. In a plate, combine the furikake and panko.

In a bowl, mix the egg white, water, milk, flour and cornstarch to make a smooth batter. Dip the mahi mahi pieces into the batter.

Roll into furikake-panko mixture. Heat the oil in a skillet. Fry both sides of the mahi mahi until golden brown, being careful not to cook and dry the fish. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with dipping sauce (optional).

For the dipping sauce

• ½ cup soy sauce (we used Aloha Shoyu brand)
• ¼ cup water
• ¼  sugar
• ½-inch piece of ginger, crushed
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water

In a bowl, mix the soy sauce, ¼ cup water, sugar, ginger and garlic. Cover and let stand for at least two hours to allow the flavors to blend together. Simmer in a small saucepan  over medium heat. In a small measuring cup or ramekin, make a thickening paste by mixing the cornstarch with the 1 tablespoon of water. Stir into the sauce mix until thickened. Discard the ginger and garlic. Serve with the furikake mahi mahi.

Notes

• Kahuna has cooked furikake ahi (tuna) in the same manner. Read the difference between the fishes ahi and mahi mahi here.
• Look for nori komi furikake seasoning at Asian grocery stores.