RECIPE: How to make a poke bowl in a cinch

The classic Hawaiian poke (say PO-kay) is mainly centred around the raw fish ─ yellowfin tuna, or "ahi" as the Hawaiians call it, is most common ─ which is diced up and  marinated with soy sauce and sesame seeds, and quite often, with seaweed and a bit of chilli heat too.

If that hodgepodge of flavours sounds like it's got quite an Asian bent, that's probably because of the sizeable Japanese population and influence in Hawaii. 

Poke in Hawaii is quite an everyday thing, and you'll probably see it sold by weight and scooped into convenient plastic tubs, and consumed as an appetiser. 

Modern day poke bowls are heftier, like a main course-sized cross between ceviche, sashimi rice and salad.

You get a big scoop of marinated fish (salmon is a popular alternative to tuna, but there are versions with octopus too) heaped over a rice or salad base (sometimes both, and sometimes with a mixture of white and brown rice), with a handful of mixed nuts and diced fruits thrown in for good measure. 

We roped in long-time Hawaiian resident, Christina Tran, who's also the Chief Enjoyment Officer of the Hawaiian-themed Ola Beach Club, to share with us a little more about poke. Of course, we made sure to also bug Kitchen Boss Liinson Heng for a basic poke bowl recipe that you can try at home. After that, it's all up to your imagination!

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KIMCHI POKE BOWL

For the tuna mix:

200g sashimi-grade tuna, sliced against the grain into 1cm cubes

2 tsp sesame oil

3 tsp light soya sauce

1 tsp chopped spring onions

1 tsp diced yellow onions

1 tsp sesame seeds

3 tsp gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)

150g cooked brown rice

50g diced pineapple

50g chopped kimchi

50g ebiko (flying fish roe)

A handful chopped spring onion

DIRECTIONS

Recipe courtesy of Ola Beach Club, 46 Siloso Beach Walk, tel: 6250-6978.  olabeachclub.com.