Pūpū's Anyone?

After my uneventful Thanksgiving meal yesterday, I realized just how much I love finger food, appetizers, snacks, whatever you want to call it. I love food that is bite-size, mainly because you can sample a number of dishes at the same time. I wish I had planned more yesterday for Thanksgiving and my birthday, but it was nice to have a day of doing nothing. But it got me thinking about Hawaiian food again, and how there are so many great dishes that you see on the menus at Hawaiian restaurants that you can make at home, that typically fall into this category of finger food, or pūpūs, in Hawaiian.

Every Hawaiian menu will consist of a variety of pūpūs, and many will advertise 'heavy pūpūs', which often means buffet style, so you can have a much as you want of the dish. Typically, pūpūs are made from recipes including chicken, shrimp, pork and vegetables. One of my favorite pūpū dishes is Poke, which is cubed and seasoned raw fish, usually tuna. You could also use shellfish or mussels, but fish is the most common way to make this dish. Poke is a Hawaiian word meaning "section" or "to slice or cut". Because a fish poke recipe calls for the fish to be served raw, I would always use sashimi -grade fish for freshness and quality, however be warned that some restaurants may not always serve sashimi-grade fish, which increases your risk of food poisoning if the fish is not extremely fresh. If making Poke at home, be sure to purchase your fish from a fishmonger who has a good reputation for quality.

Here is a great Poke recipe from famous Hawaiian chef, Sam Choy. Please try this recipe out, but I want you to know that Sam Choy has produced a Poke cookbook (yep he really loves Poke), which you can purchase at Amazon.com. So if you and your guests aren't big fans of raw fish, this book has more poke recipes that might please the palate. Yum!

Sam Choy's Award Winning Poke

Ingredients
2 lb Ahi tuna, cubed into 1/2 to 3/4 inch squares
3 oz chopped green onion
3 oz diced onion
2 oz chopped ogo (fresh seaweed)
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
Hawaiian salt to taste
Secret Ingredient: Kukui nut

Method
Combine in mixing bowl; add dry ingredients and chill.
Serve and enjoy.

Alan Wong's - Honolulu

One of the best dining experiences I had in Hawaii was eating at Alan Wong's Restaurant on King St, Honolulu. Coming from Sydney and being fortunate enough to eat quality produce every day (thanks Sydney Seafood School!) I was thrilled to find a restaurant in Hawaii that served such wonderful local produce.

The first time we went there we had the 5 course degustation. Wow - the whole experience was amazing, from the food, to the service, to the view from the restaurant of the mountains. My favorite dish (and still is to this day), is the Ginger Crusted Onaga; I don't think I have ever eaten fish that was so fresh and tender.

The nice thing about Alan Wong's is that they always ask if you are dining for a special occasion eg. birthday, anniversary etc. And unless you are made of money, it usually is a special occasion! So be prepared for a special birthday dessert, or a selection of dessert samples to share on your anniversary. Not only is this thoughtful, but gives you an opportunity to sample a number of the dessert items that you were dying to try but just didn't have room for!

Alan Wong's also has an amazing selection of coffee - including beans that are roasted at his own plantation in Hawaii.

If you want to support the local economy and have a true Hawaiian experience - this is it. You can find more info about Alan Wong and his culinary ventures on his website - he has a lot of restaurants including one in Japan.

I have attached a few photos of the delicious food to get your mouth watering - enjoy!



Ginger Crusted Onaga - Yum!



Delicious Dessert Sampler