Ericka ~ Do you have a recipe for Haupia Malasadas? Or perhaps a link to one?

Aunty ~ When you wrote to ask for a recipe for haupia malasadas, I assumed you meant malasadas with haupia filling? Those, along with malasadas filled with guava or passion fruit (lilikoi) jelly are my current favorites.

Here are a couple of malasadas recipes. The first one is made with premade chilled biscuit dough in a cardboard roll, which is the easiest.

This other recipe makes a malasadas dough from scratch and uses yeast.

Once the malasadas have been fried up, toss them into a paper bag with some granulated sugar (add some cinnamon for variety).

Then using a cake decorating tip or the end of a small paring knife, make a small hole in one end of the malasadas, and pipe in some haupia filling.

One other way to make the malasadas is to find a box of Café du Monde Beignet Mix (from New Orleans), which many of the larger supermarkets all over the place carry. All you have to do is add water and fry the dough up. Beignets are very similar to malasadas.

If you want to make malasadas that taste like haupia but without the filling, replace the evaporated milk in the "from scratch" malasadas recipe with canned coconut milk. Add some toasted, shredded coconut to the paper bag with the sugar in it, shake and serve hot. Another delightful variation of something most keiki in Hawai'i have as an afterschool snack or at the fair or carnival.

Momi ~ Please advise on preparing beef luau using spinach rather than luau leaves. Also we need to feed 50-100 people so what is the amount to prepare?

Aunty ~ I don't think I've ever had beef luau (it's always been chicken or squid luau), but I suppose chunks of beef would also work too.

Take a look at the following recipe for chicken/squid luau. It serves about 6-8 people.

If you're using beef, I think the most economical cut would be stew meat (top round cut in smallish chunks. To serve 50-100 people I would guess you'd probably need about 6-8 oz. of beef/person. Then to make the beef tender, I would probably simmer the beef in some water for at least 1/2 hour before using it to prepare the luau (drain thoroughly).

For spinach, if 2 boxes of thawed (but not cooked) frozen spinach = about a lb, you would need probably at least 20 boxes of frozen spinach.

The amount of coconut milk (use canned coconut milk or coconut cream, whichever is the cheapest) is kinda variable; it depends on how "wet" you want your luau to be (you might need at least 20 cans of coconut milk or coconut cream).

You don't need the water stated in the recipe because that's for cooking fresh taro leaves (but do squeeze out all the moisture from the thawed spinach so it doesn't dilute the coconut milk before you add it to the beef). Then add salt to taste.

That's about as close to giving you a recipe as I can come, but I hope it helps. Obviously the more dishes you have on the table for people to pick from, the less of this beef luau you will need.

Miyeko ~ Please send recipe for Mochiko chicken that you like best.

Aunty ~ Here is an easy recipe for mochiko chicken that I've used in the past. The chicken is good eaten hot or cold.

Mo ~ Hi, I have a question. When making the guava cake, do I use regular guava juice, or do I use the frozen concentrate? Do I dilute it or use it without diluting it? Please let me know. Mahalo

Aunty ~ If you use guava concentrate (frozen kine), better to dilute according to the instructions on the package, otherwise, the guava taste might be a little too strong. However, if you have a recipe that also calls for guava pulp as well as the juice, use the frozen stuff without diluting it.

Cheryl ~ Is there a recipe for the guava glaze like the one that is used on the Delite bakery guava chiffon cake?

Aunty ~ Here is a recipe for guava chiffon cake that appeared in the Honolulu Star Bulletin a few years ago. I believe the part of the recipe you're looking for is the "guava topping" which is at the very bottom of this story.

Amie ~ How do I prepare da kine canned corned beef and cabbage?

Aunty ~ Canned corned beef and cabbage is very simple to make. Take one head of round cabbage, core it, and cut into 2" thick pieces. Put into a pot and add a little water and cover with a lid. When the cabbage is tender, drain off a little of the water and then add to the pot 1 can of Australian corned beef (the kind in the round can).

Australian corned beef is preferable to the kind from South America is in the kinda squarish can because the Australian stuff has more gelatin than the South American stuff. Sometimes the Australian corned beef is called "Samoan" corned beef.

Anyway, break up the corned beef into pieces and mix with the cabbage. You can reheat it a little to warm up the corned beef, but if you dump the meat into the cabbage right after you cook the cabbage, the meat should get warmed up just like that without any additional heat. Salt and pepper to taste and serve over rice.

Onolicious. One of the local "comfort" foods.

Al ~ My dad used to make a abalone soup with abalone, watercress and I believe some slices of pork. Of course, you only wish you asked for the recipe while they were living. I was wondering if you may have one. It was a long time ago, when canned abalone and salmon was expensive. But I just was given a can of abalone so I want to make the soup. If you can help thanks.

Aunty ~ Gee, it's been ages since I've had that abalone watercress soup too! And as hard as I tried to find a recipe, I couldn't find one, so here is a kind of thrown together recipe from my memories of what that soup was made of:

• Chicken broth or fish stock (make your own from the bones of chickens or fish, or buy the canned chicken stock... use the low sodium kind)
• Ginger (maybe about 1" fresh ginger cut in thin slices)
• Strips of fresh pork sirloin (this will cook in the soup) or Chinese roast pork strips
• Chinese cabbage, cut up (or you can use watercress, or use both cabbage and watercress)
• 1 or 2 shiitake mushrooms (just throw in the soup and they will soften and add flavor...then when you're ready to serve the soup, retrieve the mushrooms and slice them into small strips)
• Abalone (if you can afford it... sometimes they have canned fake abalone which you can also use)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cellophane noodles (one bunch, soaked in warm water until pliable, then drained), optional

Heat up the stock, ginger and shiitake mushrooms first, until the mushrooms are tender. Take them out and slice into thin strips. Toss in the cabbage, watercress and pork sirloin and cook for a few minutes until the pork is cooked through and the cabbage and watercress are limp. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the cellophane noodles into the soup bowl, pour the soup over it, And then put the abalone or Chinese roast pork on top for garnish.

This is a real simple soup that tastes good and is good for you, too!

Doc ~ How did Loco Moco get it name? So you know how this originate? Thank You Doc

Aunty ~ Well, Aunty only knew that Loco Moco was originated on the Big Island in Hilo, but there were several different claims of which restaurant actually served the first loco moco. Here's one source, which says it was created at a long-gone diner called the Lincoln Grill.

Others claim that the name was invented by Cafe 100. The dish has been around for a long time (the rice, hamburger steak and gravy part), it just never had a name until the 1970s.

Now loco moco is a ubiquitous part of the local Hawaiian menu.

Penny ~ I just returned from Kauai - had the BEST chocolate eclairs with haupia coconut filling at the Kilahua Bakery. Can you the filling for the Haupia Cake on your website for the custard in eclairs?

Aunty ~ Yes, you can use the filling recipe from the haupia coconut cake recipe. I'd start out with maybe 2 Tbps of the cornstarch, though, and if the filling is a little too runny for your taste, then mix another 1 Tbs of cornstarch in a little water and add it to the mix. But I think the following recipe for chocolate haupia pie filling would be even better. I mean, who doesn't love chocolate, right?

Melodie ~ I can't find a recipe for rice cake, the kind that the manapua man used to serve. It was really sticky, white & had holes on the inside of it. They usually cut it into triangles. I live in Las Vegas & have no way of getting some unless I make it myself. Help!! Thanks! :)

Aunty ~ It's amazing that so many people ask about this particular recipe. The rice cake is called "Bok Tong Go".

Here is a story (and recipes) from the Honolulu Star Bulletin. The recipe is kind of complicated (not because of the ingredients, but because of the technique involved in fermenting the rice mix just right). It's so complicated, in fact, that it would be easier for you to go to a Chinese restaurant in LV that serves dim sum (find a restaurant that serves Hong Kongese food---I'm not sure a Cantonese restaurant would make these) and just ask them if they have "Bok Tong Go".

Here is the story about Bok Tong Go.