At the heart of almost every local tailgate party, potluck, celebration and social gathering is poke — Hawaii’s soul food. At the heart of almost every local tailgate party, potluck, celebration and social gathering is poke — Hawaii’s soul food.
At the heart of almost every local tailgate party, potluck, celebration and social gathering is poke — Hawaii’s soul food.
For several contestants at celebrity chef Sam Choy’s Keauhou Poke Contest Sunday, poke encompasses more than just the components — a melange of seasoned cubes of fresh, raw fish and other ingredients. It’s not just an ubiquitous pupu, but “a tradition” and “quintessential Hawaii food.” It’s recipes that have been passed down for generations or tweaked into the most imaginative combinations, perfectly reflecting the Hawaiian Islands culture and lifestyle.
For Choy, the contest at the Keauhou Sheraton Bay Resort & Spa was a “very rewarding” opportunity to “educate the public about poke’s origins and acknowledge those who carry on its traditions.”
“This is a chance to puff our chests proudly and support the real poke makers,” he said. “Some of these contestants are sharing recipes and traditions that are deeply rooted. We’re talking before Captain Cook kind of poke. The competition is tough because many of the contestants are accustomed to making poke, do it very well, are really talented and have been instrumental over the years by helping build the momentum for it.”
Choy is credited for launching the first poke contest in the early 1990s, but he insists he couldn’t have done it without Waimea resident Gene Erger, who believed in this Hawaii comfort food and wanted to bring awareness about it. He also thanked the community for supporting the competition year after year, even with venue changes, including five years at the Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu.
Choy fondly recalled the first contest held in “an old, borrowed, green army tent” at Waimea Park. He said the judges — all top regional chefs — outnumbered the contestants, 12 to six. One contestant dropped her entry in the grass. And yes, they tasted it.
“This all started with humble beginnings,” he said. “It definitely feels good to bring it back to the Big Island.”
Hilo resident and amateur contestant Margie Hanselman likened the competition to a reunion, with a devotion of great poke, a melting pot of culinary influences and tremendous community spirit. She has competed in Choy’s contests since “the early days” and has won a few times. But Sunday was first time she entered the spicy category with her Keahipele Dragon Fire, consisting of yellow fin tuna, opihi, octopus, soy sauce, sweet onion, green onions, limu (seaweed), red sea salt, garlic chili sauce, fern shoots and inamona (roasted ground kukui nut). Hanselman ventured out of her “poke comfort zone” because she loves to cook and experiment. She also wanted to do something in honor of 2012 being the Year of the Dragon.
Choy explained poke in Hawaiian means to slice or cut crosswise fish into bite-sized or small pieces. Today, it tends to mean a marinated dish of either raw, seared or cooked seafood. However, that isn’t always the case. Choy has enjoyed and been inspired by many variations, including alligator poke, avocado poke and tofu poke.
Traditional Hawaiian seasonings include limu, inamona, sea salt, opihi, lobster and sea urchin (uni or wana) roe. Soy sauce, chili peppers, green onions, garlic, wasabi and sesame became common with the influences of other ethnicities. Sunday’s contestants were encouraged be creative when it came to using limu, seeds, herbs, spices, nuts, marinades, tofu, fruit, vegetables and seasoning. Though Choy has a weakness for “the creamy, briny, ocean taste” of uni, he was mostly looking for “an explosion of flavors, creativity and originality.”
Choy, who grew up in Laie, Oahu, cooks from memory and with the joy of tasting. He fell in love with poke the first time he made it. In the old days, the whole fish would be eaten — skin, bone and all. Inedible parts were spit or picked out, Choy said.
Around age 10 or 11, Choy sliced a whole moi, caught off Hukilau Beach, and seasoned it with salt, inamona and limu. His reaction upon first bite: “Wow!” He added, “I loved it, even with so many bones stuck in my throat.”
Kelsi Ikeda, manager of Sandy’s Drive In, thanked her auntie, Hisako, for making “the best oxtail soup.” It was the inspiration for her creation, “Everything but the Oxtail Poke.” Though her choice was bold and unusual, Ikeda, a first time poke contest competitor, was not worried Sunday.
“All my life I’ve eaten poke. I’ve eaten a lot of it and I know what I like,” she said. Ikeda got second place in the With Soy Sauce category for professionals.
Da Poke Shack chef Keoki Rivera’s secret ingredients for his creation, “Little Touch of Heaven” were heart, soul and passion. He insisted without these components poke “comes out gross.” His poke, consisting of yellow fin tuna, salt, inamona, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, green onion and sweet Maui onion, got first place in the With Soy Sauce category for amateurs.
The competition offered more than $10,000 in cash and prizes to the amateur and professional chefs. However, that wasn’t the only reason why contestants participated. Many cited “The Heart of the Campus: Equip the Kitchens Campaign” for the future Hawaii Community College Palamanui campus as a primary reason.
The event’s adult admission proceeds, totaling $1,000, were donated to the campaign. This contribution will help the college purchase two kitchens, a baking kitchen, and a preparation and butcher kitchen. The American Culinary Federation campaign, which seeks to raise $1 million, also wants to help allow 65 students per semester work toward their degree in culinary arts.
Deanna Del Mar, of Okolemaluna Tiki Lounge, said the Hawaii Community College-West Hawaii’s culinary arts program taught her the art, science and business of cooking — “all valuable information.” She participated as a professional in the competition’s Cooked category because she wanted to give thanks to her roots. Her second place-winning creation, Lilikoi Spice Poke, was a tribute to her family, particularly her late dad and professional chef, Caddy, whom she learned from and was constantly inspired by. It was also a token of appreciation to her bosses, college teachers and others who encouraged her cooking.
Sunday’s contest ended Keauhou Resort’s annual Kamehameha III celebration. The event also had a celebrity cook off, won by Gene “Bucky” Leslie, of Flowers for Mama.
