Meet Hawaiian Chef Sam Choy

I have long admired Hawaiian Chef Extraordinaire Sam Choy.  Many years ago I decided Sam was Hawaii's ambassador to the world as he represents all things that are good about these islands. 

With Sam, what you see is what you get.  I first met him on my first year here on the islands.  I had gone to the town of Waimea to attend some events during the Aloha Festivals and ran into him outside the building housing that year's poke contest.

I have to admit I lost my cool and acted just like a stage groupie.  Sam was very nice and autographed the apron I just happened to have with me.  I'll tell you more about this apron at some other time.

The second time I met him he and his family were taking visitors around the island and they came to see the falls for which our business was named.  On the trip down from the falls, Sam and his family stopped at our Inn for refreshments and ice cream.

I reminded him of the time he had autographed my apron and he remembered the occasion.  He said it was the first and only time any one had asked him to sign an apron!  Of course, I brought out all of my Sam Choy cookbooks so he could sign them also!

About 3 years ago I was privileged to be a member of a very small group of food writers representing different media, both from the islands and the mainland, who were invited to attend a poke class at the Coast Grille Restaurant of the Hapuna Prince Beach Hotel.

With a smile as big as his heart, Sam embarked into what he calls Hawaiian Poke 101, the basics of any poke recipe.

Poke (poh-kay) is the Polynesian version of the Spanish ceviche; raw fish or "other fruits of the sea" "cooked" with salt and seasonings. He constantly referred to ogo or limu as "sea salad". 

Sam has been hosting a poke contest for the last 15 years as part of the annual Aloha Festivals every September on this island.

He first gave a bit of background, about himself and his enthusiasm for food and cooking. He commented that back in the seventies when celebrated Chef Alice Waters of Chez Panisse fame in Berkeley, California was promoting her belief in having only the freshest foods possible served in her restaurant, the phrase "from garden to table" was coined. Sam realized that that was actually the tradition and the way of life in Hawaii from the earliest time.

It is the same with poke, he said, "from garden (the sea) to table" with very little fussing in between. He then explained about his tracing some of the history and roots of this dish for his book on poke.

According to the Sam Choy Poke Festival brochure, the word poke originally meant the slicing or cutting of raw, fresh fish into cubes or bite size pieces, but today it translates to mean a marinated Hawaiian dish of raw, seared or cooked seafood.

The best fish for poke are `ahi, albacore tuna or wahoo, but other fish or shellfish may be used, including salmon. All fish used should be the freshest possible and only salmon can be frozen and thawed previous to using in poke.

The original poke was much saltier than modern versions, but today you encounter more variety in seasonings. Coarse Hawaiian salt is used for "curing" the fish and soy, sesame oil and inamona (roasted and chopped up kukui nut) are the traditional seasonings.

Sam insists that the oil used should be of roasted sesame seeds.

Ogo or limu are used for crunch. If no ogo or limu is available, onions, cucumber or red bell pepper, cut into very small bits will add the desired crunch and also serve as a garnish for your poke dish.

The hotel did a superb job of coddling us. Each participant had their own table covered in impeccable white linens, flatware, paper wrapped chopsticks, Hawaiian bottled water in ice-filled wine coolers, wine glass (for the water), beer glass, a koa bowl and a tray with little lidded containers holding the ingredients for the recipe we were to do. A Sam Choy Poke Festival brochure and hotel notepads and pens, in case you had not brought your own, completed the table settings.

Afterwards while he demonstrated as he spoke, we were to mix our own, using the same ingredients, but quantities were up to our discretion or taste. He later went around and tasted everyone's version.

We did this 3 times, using three different sets of ingredients.

The first recipe was using fresh, raw lobster. The second was using salt cured opihi (limpet) and the third was raw oysters. They were all very good and it was my first try at eating limpets, which Hawaiians consider like caviar, but I had not deigned to taste before. I was quite surprised to find them very good and chagrined that I had missed tasting such a delicacy all this time!

Sam stressed that the ingredients should be folded in to be incorporated, much as you do a baking batter, rather than stir them in. He also suggested serving the lobster poke on a lettuce leaf, the opihi in a glass bowl nestled in ice and the oysters in their own shell could also be served on a bed of ice.

After the class and tastings, we were presented with a copy of Sam's latest cookbook "Sam Choy's Polynesian Kitchen" which he autographed for each of us.

You can find my own version of poke/ceviche in my food and garden blog

Learn more about Sam Choy http://www.samchoy.com/about.html