Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 8, Number 7, 1 July 1991 — Contest proves plate lunches can be nutritious [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Contest proves plate lunches can be nutritious

by Deborah L. Ward Editor "Where's the fat?" asked Hawai'i Sen. Mike Crozier, as he sampled the squid lu'au and fish laulau, the lomi oio and the broiled papio. Not a trace of oily kalua pig, nary a ehunk of laulau fat could be seen among the entries in the Great Hawaiian Plate Luneh Challenge, sponsored by the Hawai'i Department of Health. The plate luneh contest was planned by the department's Office of Hawaiian Health, O'ahu Native Hawaiian Health Task Force and Nutrition Branch, to challenge restaurants, caterers and luneh wagons to design and create an affordable, tasty and nutritious Hawaiian plate luneh. The event was held at Kapiolani Park Bank Stand as part of the Kng Kamehameha Day parade festivities June 8. Next year they again plan to hold the challenge in eonneehon with the parade.

Four plate lunches were entered. They were judged for flavor, appearance, variety, cooking method, tastiness and marketability. Judges were: Dr. Jack Lewin, Department of Health director, Nadine Kam, Honolulu Star-Bulletin restaurant reviewer, Sen. Mike Crozier and his wife Lynnette (they were recent guest chefs on the Frugal Gourmet cooking show), and OHA trustee Louis Hao. Taking top prize for the most tasty plate luneh was the entry by Haili's Hawaiian Foods, a catering firm. Their attractive menu consisted of lomi oio stuffed in sweet green ehili, sweet potato sprinkled with chopped lipoa, boiled lu'au leaf with sliced ginger, poi and sliced papaya with lemon.

The OHA award for best use of traditional Hawaiian food, a cash prize of $75, was presented to Herbert Hoe, of Hale Kealoha Caterers, Waiahole. Hoe artfully placed on a dried breadfruit leaf his plate of lawalu papio (broiled fish), steamed lu'au leaf, a mixture of sweet potato, taro and ulu, poi,

and a seafood salad consisting of dried akule, limu manauea, ho'io (fern shoot), cherry tomatoes, slivers of green onion and namasu sauce. Taking a home-style rather than a fast-food approach, Hoe recalled old loeal family traditions by serving the meal on a ceramic, not paper plate, and with a spoon instead of fork. For a beverage he chose water in a recycled old jelly jar, topped with a wedge of Hawaiian orange. Hoe, whose family runs a regular island foods catering business, is strong on promoting taro and taro products. Yet he said, "People ask where's the kalua pig? It was afestival, noteverydayfood." He added, "We have learned Western ways, but it's time to go back. Hawaiian foods were healthy." This summer Hoe will demonstrate how to prepare the Wai'anae diet at a Kamehameha Schools summer adult program. Special speakers will include Dr. Terry Shintani, Dr. Kekuni Blaisdell and nutritionist Clare Hughes. Ahuimanu Pre-School entered an eye-catching plate featuring Hawaiian fruits kabob, lomi salmon, squid luau, fish laulau, ehieken with long nee, sweet potato and poi. Lovell F. Kaleikini's menu included hakui (steamed) taro, 'uala (sweet potato), moa (ehieken with the skin removed), and lomi salmon, with a ean of Diet Sprite to keep down the calorie count. Kaleikini, a- former iron worker foreman and brother to entertain^r Danny Kaleikini, has entered the master's degree program at the University of Hawai'i School of Public Health. He was inspired to enter the contest out of his belief that Hawaiian food ean prevent disease brought on by eating a foreign diet. His own diet change to eliminate meat products, salt and spices, dairy products and fast foods has meant weight loss for him and he says he now needs less sleep and retains his learning better. His motto? "E hele ha'a kelekele," or "Go low-fat." One purpose of the contest was to promote better health for Native Hawaiians by adopting the typical fast-food Hawaiian plate luneh to reduce fat content and instead be high in carbohydrates and protein, moderate in salt content, high-fiber and use steaming, baking, broiling or boiling instead of frying.

Fish Lauiau Recipe by Ahuimanu Pre-School Kitchen 1 lb butterfish 1/2 salt salmon 1 lb mahimahi 1/2 lb salted butterfish 36 lu'au leaves 12 ti leaves Cut fish into six pieces. Soak the salted butterfish and salmon in water for one hour. Prepare lu'au leaves by removing the outer skin of the steams. Wash the lu'au and ti leaves and lay two ti leaves on table. Plaee six lu'au leaves in the center and plaee fish on the lu'au. Hold lu'au leaves over fish and form a bundle. Tie ends of ti leaves and steam for 4 hours.

Seafood Salad Recipe by Herbert K. Hoe, Hale Kealoha Caterers Dry Fish (Akule) 1 oz. Limu (Manuwea) 1 oz. Fern Shoot (Ho'io) 1 oz. Cherry Tomato 1 Namasu Sauce 1-2 oz. Toss all together. Lomi Oio Recipe from Haili's Hawaiian Foods 3 oz lomi oio (scraped oio fish meat, inamona kukui nut relish, chopped round onion, chopped green onion, limu kohu, less than 1/8 tsp of salt) 1 medium sweet green pepper Stuff sweet pepper and steam for 10-15 minutes Sauce: Boil down 1/4 eup of coconut milk and use one tablespoon over peppers. Serve two to three peppers per plate depending upon size of peppers.

"I ola no ke kino i ka maona o ka opu" The body enjoys health when the stomach is well filled.

B^HHBHHBBHBBBHHBHHhHH^tHHHBBHV^ OHA trustee Louis Hao judges a sample.

mmmm. mī wē :wm Judges Lynnette and Mike Crozier review rules with Fern Clark and Maleolm Chun of the Office of Hawaiian Health.

Hale Kealoha Caterer's entry (note jelly glass).

■ 1 Haili's Hawaiian Foods' plate luneh winner.