It seems every where one goes in HI, one can easily find li-hing mui..in the form of salted seeds, candy, snowballs..on and on. I personally like the flavor, especially on gummy bears. My questions is this: What is this flavor derived from?

-- Randall Shaffer (rshaffer@efortress.com), January 10, 1999

Answers

I've asked all around and I can't find any thing. It's like a "Hawaiian spice." It's like it's broken down to it smallest ingredient, kind of like peper or salt. Some friends sent me some interesting things on what it means and some li-hing mui cakes (???). Take a look at (http://planet-hawaii.com/ou812/ou02001.html) and (http://starbulletin.com/97/04/02/features/story1.html). Sorry, but maybe someone else out there knows.

-- Roy Inouye (roy@both.com), January 14, 1999.

Here's a recipe: 3T Hawaiian salt 1 lb brown sugar 1 1/2 cup lemon juice 3T whiskey 1T 5 spice 10 whole cloves

just like the real thing.

-- Priscilla Logan (gorillagrandma@nuuanu.com), January 15, 1999.

It may be a "Hawaiian spice" now, but it was a Chinese "spice" first. When my fiancee was a kid in Singapore, she used to dip stuff into the powder like we do now. This was long before Yick Lung (a li hing confectioner) disappeared--long before anyone sprinkled their gummy bears in Hawaii.

If I'm not mistaken, the flavor is mainly derived from the plum, which is altered by pickling. (Don't know if I answered your question/just restated the obvious...)

-- Chris Daida (cdaida@bigfoot.com), September 14, 2000.

Li Hing Mui originated from mainland China as a dried plum version of a preserved "ume". The name "Li Hing Mui" was originated by Yick Lung Company which introduced the plum here to Hawaii in the early 1900s. For those of you interested in a tasty sauce version used as a marinade for BBQ ribs, savory chicken, salmon filets, "poke", tequila / margarita additive, go to: www.vpotion.com where there is a 5 oz bottle of tasty sauce. It's really good on furikake rice. The product is called "Valiente's Li Hing Mui" and is available at Times Supermarket, 99 Ranch, Longs on Oahu and distributed by Paradise Beverages 808-678-4000.

-- VPOTION (info@valientespotion.com), April 11, 2001.