Merrie Monarch is in the air here in Hilo as it started a few days ago. There is a feeling of excitement in the air with all the activities and craft fairs around town and lots of activity this week.
There will be food vendors selling Hawaiian plates for sure and one of the important dishes on that plate is poi. I am making Hawaiian food for a family get-together on Friday night since I will have my two sons, one living in Germany and the other in Los Angeles, home for the Merrie Monarch Festival. I have bought a couple of corms of kalo and will have one of them pounding pa‘i‘ai or undiluted (with water) poi. There is something special about freshly pounded pa‘i‘ai that is so different from the commercially purchased poi in the bag at the market. The taste is clean and fresh and the consistency is almost like mochi.
Kalo is native to Southern India or Southern Asia and then was spread across the Pacific to become one of the most important foods of Hawaii. Polynesian voyagers introduced kalo to the islands around 1100 AD. It is now so deeply embedded in our culture. “Serving as a bridge between the mortal and the divine.”
Hawaii Ocean Project stated that, “According to Hawaiian mythology, Wakea (the sky father), and the beautiful goddess, Ho‘ohokukalani, (the heavenly one who made the stars), wished to have a child. Their first attempt, however, resulted in a still birth. The body of the stillborn child was buried near their home. From this buried child grew a taro plant; the plant was named Haloanaka (long stock trembling). The couple’s second attempt at a child resulted in a human boy which the gods named Haloa. From Haloa, the Hawaiian race of people descended. According to this legend, Hawaiians are literally related to taro, which explains the importance of taro in Hawaiian culture.”
At its peak, kalo was planted on over 35,000 acres. Today, only less than 350 acres are dedicated to kalo. To keep up with the demand for poi, the state needs to import two million pounds a year.
Have land that kalo would grow on? It is a viable crop to offset the two million pounds brought in from elsewhere!
Taro leaves and the corm to make pa‘i‘ai and poi contain calcium oxalate, and when not cooked enough, causes itchy mouth and throat. Cooking neutralizes the oxalate crystals. This compound can contribute to kidney stones in those who are susceptible to getting it.
Kalo is rich in carbohydrates, dietary fiber, potassium, manganese, vitamin B6, and vitamin E. It also contains a moderate amount of vitamin C, magnesium and folate.
A one cup serving of kalo is 187 calories, 45.7 grams of carbohydrates, 6.7 grams of dietary fiber, 30% of the daily value in manganese, 22% of the daily value in vitamin B6, and 19% of the daily value of vitamin E, 18% of the daily value of potassium, 13% of the daily value of copper, 11% of the daily value of vitamin C and 10% of the daily value of magnesium.
In 2009, the State Department of Health deemed pa‘i‘ai to be unsafe for public consumption. They shut down a pa‘i‘ai booth at the farmers market and confiscated pa‘i‘ai that was being pounded and served at Chef Ed Kenney’s restaurant, Town. The Health Department claimed the pohaku ku‘i‘ai or stone pounder was too porous and the papa ku‘i‘ai or carved wooden board was not acceptable.
Then in 2011, the Pa‘i‘ai Bill, also called the Poi Bill or SB 101, became legal as both the Senate and House unanimously passed the measure, with Governor Neil Aberbrombie signing it.
It was a battle between the rules of today and the ancient cultural traditions of Hawaii. The traditional preparations and implements used were challenged in this time-tested Kanaka Maoli culinary art. This bill helped the kalo farmers to get a better price but the need for more farmers to grow more kalo is still a problem.
You can make poi andagi with a bag of fresh poi.
Poi Andagi
(Okinawan doughnut)
Makes 15 to 20 andagi
3 quarts vegetable oil for deep frying
1 bag (18 ounces) poi
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 to 1/2 cup water
In a deep skillet, heat oil to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine poi, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Mix well.
Combine the flour and baking powder, add to the poi mixture.
Stir until the dry ingredients are moistened, adding enough water to make a smooth thick batter.
Drop teaspoonfuls of batter into the hot oil, fry until doughnuts rise to the surface and are golden brown.
Drain on paper towels.
HCC culinary program
The last day for service at I Ola No Ke Kino, or The Cafeteria, will be Thursday. It will reopen in August.
Email Audrey Wilson at audreywilson808@gmail.com.
