I'm naming today the "stay away from the stove" day. As the temperature is dangerously climbing up to hit 40˚C (104˚F) today, there's really no point in heating up the house a little more with some wild dish that needs an oven to cook. Lets all make sure things don't get too sweaty today and lets poke each other, one poké at a time!
So what's a poké (pronounced POKE-AY)? It's a traditonal Hawaiian dish, where I've never been but where I bet it gets real hot once in a while... which could explain why the population has perfected the art of the cold dish! Poké is pretty much translated as "raw fish salad" which sounds pretty darn good to me (it's like sushi for the Japanese or ceviche for the latin!)! They've got all sorts of variety over there and it's really easy and straight forward to prepare. You can also let your creativity go wild and just add whatever you feel like to the dish, as long as it's got cooked rice and some kind of raw fish!
So let the heatwave be. We can handle it, right?
Homemade Salmon Poké - Traditional Hawaiian Dish
INGREDIENTS Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise (the japanese kind Kewpie - I buy mine at my fish market about 9$)
2 tbsp sriracha
1 tbsp Sambal Olek
1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
Salad
4-5 cups of warm cooked rice (my choice is jasmin rice but it could also be sushi rice, I add 1 tbsp of rice vinegar to the water when cooking to add taste)
500 gr fresh salmon (sushi grade), cut in small cubes (about 1 x 1 cm)
2 avocados (med-big), cut in small cubes
2 mangos, cut in small cubes
2 cups of finely chopped iceberg lettuce
1 cup of finely chopped red onion
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 cup of fresh coriander, chopped
Salt
Sesame seeds (optinal, to taste)
PREPARATION
In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, sriracha and sambal olek. Adjust to taste (I like it pretty spicy!).
Place the warm rice in a large bowl. Add the salmon, avocado, mango, onion, ginger, salad and coriander. Salt to taste. Serve immediately in a nice bowl and top with sesame seeds, a few coriander leafs and some of the mayonnaise (leave the rest in a bowl to be set on the table so you can add some to taste).
