The Okinawan Pig's Feet Soup Project

Pomai’s finished version of Okinawan Pig’s Feet Soup

Still bearing “Okinawan fever”, this past week I decided for the first time to attempt (stress ATTEMPT) making Okinawan Pig’s Feet Soup, which is called Ashitibichi. I have little exposure to this delicacy, except for the one I tried at the culture festival two weeks ago, which I absolutely loved!…

Okinawan Pig’s Feet Soup from the 2007 Culture Festival

There’s a considerable difference in both color AND flavor of the broth in my version, when compared with the version from the Okinawan Festival.

The simplicity of its flavor being key. Mine was too complex, probably because I didn’t stick with the original online recipe published by the Star Bulletin, or my other reference from the KaukauTime food blog.

My Pig’s Feet Soup tasted more like Oden, a Japanese fish cake “stew”…

Playing “doctor”, I think I made the mistake of putting too much dashi (a recipe from a book) and too much Kombu (sea kelp), including not rinsing the salt off the Konbu. Don’t get me wrong. My soup was absolutely delicious (I love Oden!), but it wasn’t as mild and simple in flavor like I remember the Pig’s Feet Soup from the Okinawan Festival, which had a very simple & mild ginger, pork and salt flavor profile.

I’ll recap on my deviations of the original recipe(s) later.

Instead of providing a formal written recipe with instructions, Here’s a pictorial narrative of the ingredients in approximate quantities, and the method that I followed…

The Pig’s front foot. Yeah, looks gross, but there’s TONS of flavor in the bones here! I found this at Foodland in the freezer section, which is where most of the “other cuts” of pork are found.

Mustard Cabbage, a.k.a. “Gai Choy” (Chinese) or “Takana” (Japanese). This stuff really has a mustard-like flavor to it with some bite.

Left to right: Ginger, Daikon (radish) and long squash. I’m told the usual ingredient is Winter Melon (Togan), but because the Togan in the store was so big (it looks like a dark watermelon), I opted for the long squash. The daikon is easy to peel using a standard vegetable peeler. The squash’s skin had to be cut off using a knife.

Dashino-moto, a Bonito-flavored (dried fish) seasoning with plenty of MSG in it. It’s commonly used in various Japanese soups, including Miso soup. I added 4 packets of this stuff in my broth. Too much.

Nishimi Kombu (sea kelp).

I also used shoyu and sake for flavoring the broth.

First I boiled the pig’s feet…

Then I added ginger, kombu and sake…

After letting that boil and then simmer for about 1-1/2 hours, I put it in the refrigerator overnight to harden the fat given off from the pig’s feet on the top surface…

Yeah, looks kinda’ gross, but this is a necessary step that makes it easier to remove the fat from the pig’s feet stock. So I scooped that out using a large spoon and discarded it.

Then I soaked, but didn’t rinse the Kombu to be tied for the finished soup, as I wanted the salt on them to help flavor the broth…

The look like long “leafy strips” when rehydrated. I cut the kombu in 4″ lengths and tied a knot in the middle of each one…

Isn’t that pretty? lol

Then peeled and diced the squash…

and the Daikon (turnip)…

Reheated the broth, strained it through a sieve and cut the pig’s feet (and lower leg) into bite size pieces (this looks gross too, but this is the “soul” of the dish!)…

Then added all the cut up pig’s feet parts back in the pot. Note that I also added some cut up belly pork just to have more meat…

Then added the bow-tied Kombu, diced daikon, squash, some chopped mustard cabbage stump pieces, along with the strained broth back into the pot with the pig’s feet and simmered it for about an hour to cook until everything was tender. At the last moment, I also decided to add some soaked Shiitake mushrooms. I adjusted the flavor with shoyu.

Here’s the finished pot of Pig’s Feet Soup…

Once again, here’s the finished bowl, my first attempt at Okinawan Pig’s Feet Soup…

And here’s a nifty way to make use of saved S&S Saimin bowls!….

I dished single servings for that I can freeze to enjoy this soup later, with an equal amount of each ingredient bowled in each one. Cool huh?!

Note that I put in pieces of mustard cabbage raw at the last moment, as they heat from the broth quickly breaks it down and soften it.

Now to recap where I deviated from the recipe, and why it came out tasting “different” than the one from the Okinawan Festival.

• First, note that I put in an excessive amount of Dashi; some recipes don’t call for dashi at all, but use Miso and/or shoyu only.
• Second was that I used Kombu when boiling the pig’s feet, thinking that would enhance the flavor. Well, it did actually, but it also CHANGED it considerably.
• Third was that I put in over 1 cup of Sake, when the recipe only called for a few tablespoons. Go easy now!
• Fourth is that I didn’t rinse the tied kombu, so the natural sea salt on them was somewhat noticeable, taking away from the star of the show, the pig’s feet!
• The Shiitake Mushrooms also was somewhat dominant and also masked the pig’s feet flavor.
• I’m also not sure if I boiled the pig’s feet properly. Either not long enough, or overdone.
• Perhaps I needed more pig’s feet? Is just one enough? I didn’t want to spend too much money on an experiment, so I only bought one as shown, which costed about $8.
• Perhaps my substitution of long squash for winter melon, a.k.a. Togan, affected the outcome.

Which is why I’ve called this a “project”. Therefore I ask YOU, my fellow bloggers and visitors, if you have any tips, family recipe or other suggestions for making authentic Okinawan Pig’s Feet Soup the way you know it should be, please leave a comment. That will be highly appreciated!

Like I said, this came out absolutely oishii. Sugoi oishii desu! But it was too complex, and more Oden-like. I will thoroughly enjoy each and every one of those “Pig’s Feet Soup S&S bowls”, but I’m gonna’ try it again by following the original recipe to the “T”, and perhaps by also following suggestions by you folks.

As always, big mahalo for visiting The Tasty Island, and I hope you enjoy this article as much as I did making the soup for it! Kampai!

“Ashitibichi, in Okinawan, is warm, soul-satisfying, comfort food, considered health food, actually, because the gelatin that slowly cooks out of the feet and into the broth and is believed to prevent deterioration of the knee ligaments.

That gelatin, released over two or more hours of cooking, is also what gives the soup its special taste.” – Betty Shimabukuro, Honolulu Star Bulletin

Masa & Joyce Okazuya

Okazuya plate from Masa & Joyce: (left-right, front row to back) Okinawan Yakisoba Noodles, Teriyaki Fish Patty, Vegetable Tempura, Ume Musubi & Nishime (in the plastic container)

Continuing the Uchinanchu spirit from last week’s Okinawan Festival, today we decided to make a stop over in Kaneohe at Masa & Joyce Okazuya. A first for me, yet a frequent stop for my Uchinanchu friend, who’s order is shown above.

On the right side of the establishment as you enter is a glass refrigerator case with various poke, seafood and other pupu items. Head straight towards the front counter where the menu board is hanging and there under the glass case you’ll find the various trays of daily Okazuya items to pick from. This is “the gold”! All the other stuff on the menu looks ono, but we’re here today for Okazuya!

As is typical of many Okazuya shops, there aren’t any signs with descriptions or prices on each item, making it a little challenging to make your choices if you’re not a regular here. I arrived around 10:30am, thinking I’d beat the lunch hour rush. Which I thought I had done, as it was rather empty when I walked in, but before I knew it, there was a line building behind me that was already practically out the door! So I had to hurry and select items for two plates to go, which totaled $15 for both of them.

There’s also (limited) tables and seating if you prefer to dine in.

So the plate shown above was my friend’s order, and here’s my order…

Okazuya plate from Masa & Joyce: Okinawan Yakisoba Noodles, Vegetable Tempura, Ahi Tempura, Ahi Belly, Hot Dog Maki Sushi

So how is it?

The stir-fried Okinawan Yakisoba Noodles are a meal in itself, el dente, with generous slices of SPAM, carrots, white and green onions in it; the sum of its parts seasoned nicely in a shoyu-base that we can’t pinpoint, but works perfect. This the OTHER chow funn!

The Ahi Belly… OMG, this is like “buttah”. Being the fatty party of the tuna, this piece was super moist, very very flavorful, and gladly hardly had any bones in it. It had a light shoyu and sugar glaze on the seared exterior which gave it that signature “Okazuya style”. Highly recommended!

The Ahi Tempura has a rather thick and chewy, somewhat salty batter, which contrasted, yet complimented the tender ahi meat inside nicely. Here’s how that looks on the inside…

The Vegetable Tempura seemed to share the same thick, chewy and slightly salted batter as the Ahi version, except in this case being made up of carrots, onions, green onions and string beans.

Because of the batter, both these had character on their own, and didn’t need any kind of dipping sauce, as is usually the case with Japanese-style Tempura. Both good choices.

The Hot Dog Maki Sushi is such a no-brainer idea as far as “local food” is concerned, yet I don’t see this too often. This is a great alternative to the more familiar “Spam Musubi”. Here’s a cross section showing how it’s constructed…

Each bite: rice and hot dog, rice and hot dog, rice and hot dog. Life is complete!

That sums up my plate. My friend ordered the Teriyaki fish patty, which he gave me a sample of. OMG! That ROCKS! Order that on your next stop at Masa & Joyce. Trust me. I know I am. It’s not “fishy” at all. It taste nothing like the fish patty at Tanioka’s, which is excellent in its own right. It’s almost like hamburger-like, yet has something “Japanese” about it, and not fatty like a burger. I’d love the recipe for this.

He approved of the Nishime, which was the first time he’s ordered that from here since they didn’t have Kinpira (Gobo) today. While he says it doesn’t beat Ige’s, it was ono.

Other items included Okinawan Sweet Potato patties, various other fish items, Okinawan Long Rice, Teriyaki Fish Meatballs (same like the fishcake patty, but in different form), Aburage, Spam Sushi, Fried Tofu, and many other dishes just I can’t remember or identify.

Besides Okazuya, they also have a regular menu to order from, including a basic breakfast and soups such as Ox Tail, Ju Shi Me (Okinawan Rice Soup) and Okinawan Soba (like Saimin). There’s also plate lunches, bento lunches and Hawaiian Food, including all the favorites.

The Okazuya offerings are located in that glass case under this counter. “Da’ Gold”!

Now that I’ve sampled their Okazuya, which is on par with the best the island has to offer, next time around, I’m gonna’ go for one of the Hawaiian plates and see how M&J stacks up with Young’s Fish Market and Ono Hawaiian Food.

If you’re ever in the Kaneohe area and looking for Japanese, Okinawan, Hawaiian and overall local ‘kine grindz all in one stop, check Masa & Joyce out. Buggah stay winnahz, ono and oishii all at da’ same time! Go check ’em now go!

Masa & Joyce Okazuya
Hawaiian & Japanese Foods
Sashimi – Poke – Bento – Etc.
45-582 Kamehameha Hwy.
Tel: (808) 235-6129
Fax: (808) 235-0992

Tasty Island rating:

Winnahz!

*Masa & Joyce Okazuya is located across Windward City Shopping Center (Foodland and First Hawaiian Bank). They’re in a small business plaza complex on the corner of Kamehameha Hwy. and Luluku Rd. (mauka side), and are also neighbors with Kin Wah Chop Suey, another popular place!…

2007 Okinawan Festival

Tomoko Uehara, lead female vocalist for Rinken Band

What better way to begin this year’s coverage of the 25th Annual Okinawan Festival, which took place from August 30 to September 2, 2007, than to talk about Saturday evening’s FREE concert performance by the Rinken Band. For those not familiar with this very popular group direct from the motherland, Rinken Band blends traditional Okinawan folk music with modern pop and rock influences, along with a dynamically percussive, mostly upbeat stage performance.

Their show started at 8pm on Saturday evening following the usual Bon Dance on an exclusively-built concert stage in the middle of Kapiolani Park, just outside the fence to the Waikiki Shell, with Diamond Head crater as a backdrop. The sound and lighting was superb, and it also included 2 large projection screens so folks could zoom in on each performer.

Speaking of performers, the 3 other male frontmen really got the crowd pumped by their energy!…

I can’t pinpoint the songs, as I don’t own any Rinken Band albums, but let’s just say the live show was something to behold, and those who were lucky enough to see it, including yours truly, probably sure were glad not to have missed it. It was just awesome in every way. The crowd, compiled of everyone from 2 to 80, kept a steady clap throughout the show, and during the final 5 or so songs, the younger folks got in front of the stage and danced the night away, getting the band even more pumped! We even learned how to say “Hanahou!” which means “One more time!” in Hawaiian in Okinawan. The term is “Ma-Ti-Che”. Not sure on the spelling, but it’s pronouced “Mah-Tee-Shay”. So next time you’re at an Okinawan event and you want an encore, say that!

Here’s the entire Rinken Band on stage…

You can’t see the drummer in this shot, but we were told this young fellah’ was only 10 years old, yet he could sure lay down the beat… he was rockin’!

During the final two encore songs, it began to drizzle, then drizzle a bit heavier, almost as if the band brought on a blessing to everyone there. It was that kind of chicken skin feeling you felt watching them perform. If you ever hear of this group coming to your neck of the woods, consider seeing them. Highly recommended. Sugoi Tanushitakatta… that was a lot of fun!

Wind back the clock to 1:30pm that same day, and here we are at the same stage…

Daimond Head crater for a backdrop. Nice!

The two open frames on the sides are where the projections screens will go later in the evening…

As you can see, it was clear blue skies, sunny and HOT!…

Not to mention crowded, yet controlled enough that I didn’t have to wait too long in line for anything…

All the Okinawan grocery foods could be found under one tent…

The keiki were kept busy with plenty of bouncers to choose along the Diamond Head end of the tent booths…

Other kids enjoyed the Andagi Dunk game just to cool off…

All of the performances scheduled throughout the 2 days at the park this year were held on that new concert stage, which relegated the Kapiolani Band Stage as a place for folks to get some shade and a place to sit..

Which brings us back to the food. All the usual suspects were in attendance, this time with me getting to try a a bowl of the ever-popular Okinawan Pig’s Feet Soup!…

Okinawan Pig’s Feet Soup, 28 scrips ($7)
Oh my, this is GOOD stuff, having an almost medicinal quality to it; like kicking chicken noodle soup up a notch. lol It has a strong ginger flavor that compliments the deep and “porky” pig’s feet broth. There was also generous cuts of fatty pig’s feet in it, while kept in balanced by the large cuts of daikon, mustard cabbage, kubo (konbu/seaweed) and celery.

Here they are preparing bowls, sans broth, for service…

So everything doesn’t get soggy, the broth isn’t added until you make an order. It’s served with a small plate of rice and minced fresh ginger as a condiment.

Anyhow, don’t let the name scare you, just try it… buggah stay ono!

My niece ordered the Yaki Soba plate…

Okinawan Yaki Soba, 28 scrips ($7)

The noodles were a bit soggy, but otherwise the combination of flavors and textures from the luncheon meat, ginger, carrots, green onion and seasoning was delicious (I sampled a bit).

Volunteers stationed at multiple woks cook up crowd-pleasing portions of Yaki Soba…

While volunteers at another tent prepare plain Okinawan Soba noodles, which will be used in a soup-style preparation…

Due to the scorching hot sun, one of the longer lines while I was there was at the shave ice tent…

Here’s the Okinawan Plate…

Okinawan Plate: Champuru (the cabbage and agedofu mixture), Shoyu Pork (Rafute), Rice and Andamisu (pork and miso condiment), 28 scrips ($7)

I also grabbed a few Andadogs to go (gotta’!)…

Okinawan Andadog, 5 scrips ($1.25) each

A note on the prices, just about everything went up this year, including most of the main entree items, which were $1 higher than last year.

From the looks of the crowd, which was estimated around 75,000 over the course of all three days, and the line-up of performances and demonstrations, including that fantastic Rinken Band concert, this year’s 25th Annual Okinawan Festival appeared to be the biggest ever and a total success. Here’s to generations ahead for this wonderful cultural event… Kanpai!