a "local" favorite & salmon

It snowed last night (yeah!!). Not as much as Tokyo got over the weekend and not even enough to stay frozen--but a couple of centimeters.

I walked through the flurries to a neighboorhood bread shop called Little Mermaid to buy my lunch...they also have a Japanese version of malasadas.

Malasadas are a fried donut without a hole that is covered with sugar. It originated in Portugal(some areas of Portugal also call them "filhos").

In 1878, when the Portuguese immigrants came to Hawaii, one of the things they brought with them was their family recipes for malasadas. Malasadas were made on Shrove Tuesday (sometimes called Fat Tuesday in other areas)--the day before Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of Lent. They were your "last" indulgence before Lent when you were supposed to give up things for 40 days. Portuguese cooks used up the eggs, butter and lard that they had in their pantry, since Lent also meant abstinence from animal products.

In 1952, Leonard’s Bakery was founded--this was the first business to sell malasadas in Hawaii. Since its founding, malasadas have become a local favorite. Go to any carnival or fair on the island and you’ll find a malasadas booth--and if they are good, a very long line.

In recent years, another version of the malasadas has emerged in Hawaii--the puff-a-sada. It is a combination of cream puff and malasadas, it is the same fried donut without a hole covered with sugar, but inside is a custard pudding fillings such as vanilla, chocolate and haupia. Haupia is a hawaiian-style coconut pudding.(by the way, the combination of chocolate and haupia is also out of this world!!)

My favorite malasadas in Hawaii is from Champion Malasadas. The baker worked at Leonard’s then left to start his own business. I think Champion Malasadas is better than Leonard’s because it stays fluffy, even when it gets cold. Leonard’s tends to get really flat. If you're in Honolulu, here's the address:

Champion Malasadas
1926 S. Beretania Street
(808)947-8778
Open Tuesdays to Saturdays: 6:00-19:00
Sundays: 6:30-19:00
Closed on Mondays

Getting back to Japan's version of the malasadas called "An Donut", this version has what else, but "an" or "anko" in it. "An" is made with adzuki (red bean) and is cooked until very soft, then sugar and more water is added and the mixture is cooked until it becomes paste-like. This sweet bean paste is then put into the center of little balls of dough and fried until it puffs, then it is coated with sugar. I really like this "an donut" made by Little Mermaid because it reminds me of Champion Malasadas back home.

For tonight's dinner, I made Grilled Salmon with Mustard Sauce (sorry the picture is a bit dark...). I got the recipe from "The Healthy Kitchen" by Andrew Weil, M.D. & Rosie Daley. I pared the recipe down a bit since I only made enough for 2. I also added the sauce in the last 5 minutes of broiling.

The original recipe below serves 4.

Ingredients:
4 salmon filets
1 lemon, cut in half
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Sauce:
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill OR 1 tablespoon dried dill
1 handful chopped fresh basil

Rinse filets under cold water and pat them dry. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 the lemon over the filets and season with salt and pepper.

Pre-heat grill or broiler.

Prepare sauce: Whisk together mustard, olive oil and dill in a small bowl. Add the basil and the juice of the other 1/2 of lemon, mix well.

Grill the fish on high heat or broil until desired doneness, do not overcook!

Spoon the sauce over the fish and serve immediately.

The fresh herbs in combination with the Dijon mustard and lemon were great!!
Enjoy!