When I was in Oahu, Hawaii, I gorged on poke daily from everyday spots, the supermarkets and high-end eateries. It’s everywhere. I already have a basic tuna poke on this website. Poke pronounced “poh kay” was originally a fisherman’s dish and at its most basic is like sushi, the freshest raw fish but mixed with onions, seaweed, macadamia nuts (varies from family to family) and soy. I especially fell in love with the classic shoyu style ahi tuna and the spicy mayonnaise version on salmon. The following are my vegetarian/vegan riffs.
Furikake is a blend of seaweed flakes, salt, sugar and sesame seeds. Togarashi is a blend of chili pepper, black pepper, tangerine peel, nori, black and white sesame seeds and poppy seeds. The blends are not commercially available here but the components are for you to make your own as I did. Sriracha sauce is available in most supermarkets on the aisles which feature Asian products. I originally printed these recipes in the Jamaica Observer when I was their food writer and had invited several of my chef friends over for a Meatless Monday potluck.
Both recipes serve 8 as an appetiser or 4 as a main meal with rice, pickled cucumbers, red onion, edamame and avocado.
JuicyChef’s Hawaiian Inspired Shoyu Mushroom Poke
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg (roughly 3lbs) white mushrooms, stems removed and cut into chunks
- 100 ml low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce (omit if vegan or substitute with mushroom sauce)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 2 tsps freshly crushed garlic
- 1 tsp togarashi (optional)
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 4 stalks of escallion, green parts only, thinly sliced
- White toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Method
- In a small bowl whisk together soy sauce, oyster sauce (except vegans who can use mushroom sauce instead), sesame oil, ginger, garlic and togarashi if using.
- Add onions and half the escallion.
- In a large bowl add mushrooms and pour soy mixture all over. Stir to combine and cover and refrigerate for one hour before serving.
JuicyChef’s Hawaiian Inspired Spicy Tofu Poke
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2 standard blocks) tofu, drained, rinsed and cubed
- 2 tbsps low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 escallion stalks, finely chopped, reserve some green bits
- 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsps Sriracha sauce (or to taste based on your heat tolerance)
- 2 tbsps mayonnaise (vegans substitute with veganaisse)
- Furikake, for garnish (optional)
Method
- In a small bowl whisk soy sauce and sesame oil together.
- Add tofu, escallion and onion into another bowl and add soy and sesame mixture, rub all over ingredients and marinade for one hour in the fridge while chilling.
- Mix Sriracha sauce and mayonnaise/veganaisse until combined. Add to chilled tofu mix.
- If using, garnish with furikake and serve.