Girls’ Day, or Hinamatsuri, coming up on March 3, is a Japanese celebration seeking the health and happiness of young girls.

Traditionally, parents and grandparents give a special set of dolls to a baby girl, sometimes passing down their own set. Special foods, such as chirashi (sushi rice topped with sashimi), clam soup and edamame maze gohan (rice with soybeans), are prepared for the festivities as well as pink and white sweets, such as chichi dango (mochi) and sakura mochi (rice with sweet red beans).

We celebrate similar traditions in Hawaii by displaying our doll collections, sharing mochi and giving gifts to the girls in our lives.

CHICHI DANGO

By Hawaiian Electric Co.

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 (16-ounce) box mochiko
• 1-1/2 to 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 (15-ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4-6 drops red food coloring
• 1/2 cup potato starch

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with cooking oil.

In bowl, sift mochiko, sugar and baking powder; set aside.

In separate large bowl, whisk coconut milk and water. Add vanilla and mix well.

Using a mixer, slowly add dry ingredients to wet; mix until well blended. Add a couple drops of food coloring and mix well, until desired color is achieved. Pour into baking dish. Seal pan with foil. Bake 1 hour. Edges may appear slightly hard and overbaked, while center will appear moist. Remove foil and cool completely.

Dust clean, flat surface with potato starch. Using plastic knife, cut edges of mochi away from pan. Turn mochi out onto dusted surface, using metal spatula if needed. With plastic knife, cut into bite-sized cubes. Roll in potato starch.

Keeps 1 day in airtight container in cool location. After that, refrigerate. Microwave 10 seconds to soften. Makes 80 pieces.

Approximate nutritional information, per mochi: 50 calories, 1 g fat, no saturated fat or cholesterol, 5 mg sodium, 10 g carbohydrate, no fiber, 5 g sugar, 1 g protein.

CLAM MISO SOUP

By Hawaiian Electric Co.

• 1/2 pound Manila clams, cleaned, grit removed
• 2 cups water
• 2-inch piece kombu (dried kelp), wiped with damp cloth (leave white powder)
• 2 tablespoons miso
• 1 green onion, chopped
• In a large pot, combine clams, water and kombu; bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low.
• Skim off scum with mesh strainer.Turn off heat immediately after clams are all open.
• Remove kombu. Remove a ladle full of soup; add 1 tablespoon miso to it and stir to dissolve.
• Return miso mixture to pot and taste. Add more miso, if desired, to taste.
• Serve in soup bowls, sprinkled with green onions. Serves 2.

>> NOTE: Never add miso to boiling soup, as this will cause the miso to lose its flavor.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 70 calories, 1.5 g fat, no saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 1,400 mg sodium, 7 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 1 g sugar, 7 g protein.

MAZE GOHAN (MIXED RICE)

By Hawaiian Electric Co.

• 2 cups brown rice, freshly cooked
• 3 tablespoons furikake (dried rice seasoning), wakame-chazuke flavor (green tea with seaweed)
• 2-1/2 tablespoons nametake (seasoned mushrooms)
• 1-1/2 cups frozen shelled edamame (soybeans), cooked

Place rice in a large, shallow wooden dish. Using a rice paddle, gently incorporate furikake seasoning.

Add nametake and edamame; gently mix.

Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 300 calories, 3.5 g fat, no saturated fat or cholesterol, 200 mg sodium, 56 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 1 g sugar, 10 g protein.

More Hawaiian Electric Co. recipes are available at hawaiianelectric.com.