Poke is a traditional Hawaiian preparation of raw seafood—often tuna or salmon— and it can be flavored in many different ways. This recipe uses tuna with yuzu juice for flavoring. Yuzu juice can be purchased at any Asian market.

For the poke
8oz (225g) ahi tuna (sashimi grade)
2 tsp garlic-chili paste
11⁄2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
11⁄2 tbsp minced shallot
2 tsp black sesame seeds
3 scallion tops (green part only),
cut finely on the bias
11⁄2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

For the sauce
2 tbsp yuzu juice
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tbsp olive oil

To prepare the tuna for the poke, trim to make a neat block, then cut it into slices about 1⁄4in (5mm) thick. Cut each slice into strips the same width as the thickness, then cut across the strips to make dice. Combine the tuna, garlic-chili paste, ginger, shallot, sesame seeds, scallion tops, and sesame oil in a mixing bowl. Toss together until thoroughly combined, then season to taste with coarse sea salt. Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to serve. For the sauce, place the yuzu juice, soy sauce, and cilantro in a small mixing bowl and slowly whisk in the olive oil. To serve, place some of the poke in the center of each plate and lightly spoon the sauce around the poke.

Eel is easier to skin immediately after it has been killed, and it should be cooked as soon as possible after skinning and gutting (as with most any fish). In general, eels will come to you already killed, but with skin intact. The skin is very slippery so you’ll need to use a towel to help you grip it. Once skinned, you can cut it crosswise into medium-sized sections for baking, or into smaller sections that can then be sliced for stir-frying, steaming, or grilling.

Using a kitchen towel, hold the eel near its
head. Make a cut in the skin all around the
base of the head, not cutting completely through.

Take hold of the head with the towel, and
use pliers to pull the skin away from the cut
made around the base of the head.

 

Still grasping the head end of the eel with
a towel in one hand, take hold of the freed
skin with another towel in your other hand.
Pull firmly to peel off the skin from the whole
length of the eel in one piece.

Starting at the head end, make a cut down
the length of the underside of the eel.
Remove the guts (viscera). Rinse the eel in cold
running water and pat dry.

This cucumber soup is so light and refreshing it could almost work as a summer beverage. Tart apple and sweet watermelon contrast deliciously. Togarashi powder is ground small, hot, red, Japanese chili peppers.

Ingredients:
2 English cucumbers
2 tbsp plain yogurt
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1⁄2 tsp togarashi powder
1⁄4 cup cucumber julienne 1in (2.5cm) long
1⁄4 cup green apple julienne 1in (2.5cm) long
8 tsp watermelon batonnets, seeds removed
1⁄4 cup diced avocado
8 tsp diced jicama
8 tsp diced tomatillo
8 slices of dehydrated tomato
(see opposite), julienned
4 tsp snipped dill
4 tsp green herb oil (p95)

Procedure:
Cut one of the cucumbers into eight 1in (2.5cm) pieces. Using a round cutter or a paring knife, remove the skin. Hollow out the inside of each cucumber piece using a spoon or small melon baller, to make a cup. Put the scooped-out pulp in a blender.

Peel and chop the second cucumber and add to the blender along with 1 tsp salt. Purée until smooth. Pour the cucumber purée into a strainer lined with three layers of cheesecloth and set in a bowl. Let it sit in the refrigerator until all of the liquid has strained through. Season this cucumber broth with salt if necessary and keep refrigerated until needed.

Combine the yogurt, lemon juice, and togarashi in a small bowl. Add the julienned cucumber and apple, and toss to mix.

To assemble, set two cucumber cups in the center of each wide serving bowl. Fill the cups with the cucumber and apple mixture. Place the watermelon, avocado, jicama, tomatillo,and tomato around the cups. Ladle the cucumber broth into each bowl and sprinkle with the dill. Drizzle 1 tsp herb oil onto each serving and finish with freshly ground pepper.

This is a classic Cantonese chicken dish that my mother often made. The gentlest possible heat is used so that the chicken remains extremely moist and flavorful with a satiny, almost velvetlike texture. The dish is not difficult to make. Save the cooking liquid for cooking rice or use as the base for chicken stock.

Ingredients:
1 chicken, 31⁄2–4lb (1.6–1.8kg), preferably organic
1 tbsp salt
chicken stock or water to cover
6 scallions
6 slices of fresh ginger

Procedure:

1. Rub the chicken all over with the salt, aiming to achieve an even covering.
2. Place the chicken in a large pot, cover with chicken stock or water, and bring to a boil. Add the scallions, ginger slices, and a few grinds of black pepper. Cover the pot tightly and reduce the heat. Simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat. Leave the chicken in the pot, still tightly covered, for 1 hour
4. Lift the chicken from the stock and immediately plunge it into a large bowl of ice water to cool quickly and thoroughly.
5. Remove the chicken and drain well. Pat dry with paper towels. Discard the water used for cooling.
6. Place the chicken on a chopping board and cut into bite-sized pieces. Arrange on a platter. Serve the chicken pieces with Cantonese-style dipping sauce (see opposite) alongside

Ingredients:
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 cup boiling water
2 cups glutinous rice flour
1 cup sweet red bean paste
¼ cup white sesame seeds
6 cups oil for deep-frying





Procedure:

1. Add the brown sugar to the boiling water, stirring to dissolve. Cool.
2. Place the glutinous rice flour in a large bowl, making a well in the middle. Give the sugar/water mix a quick stir and slowly pour into the
   well, stirring to mix with the flour. Continue stirring until well mixed. You should have a sticky, caramel-colored dough at this point.
3. Rub your hands in a bit of the rice flour so that the dough doesn't stick to them. Take a heaping tablespoon of dough and shape into a ball
   roughly the size of a golf ball.
4. Flatten the ball with the palm of your hand, then use your thumb to make an indentation in the middle. Take no more than 1 teaspoon of
   red bean paste, and use your hand to shape the paste into a circle. Place the paste in the indentation in the dough. Fold the dough over
   the paste and roll back into a ball. Continue with the remainder of the dough.
5. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on a sheet of waxed paper. Roll the balls in the seeds.
6. In a wok or large pot, heat 6 cups of oil to between 330–350°F. Deep-fry the sesame seed balls a few at a time, carefully pushing them
   against the sides of the wok when they float to the top. The sesame balls are cooked when they expand to approximately 3 times their
   size and turn golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm.

Makes 22–24 balls

Glutinous rice flour, also known as sweet rice flour, is used mainly for desserts and dim sum snacks. It is sold in bags in Asian markets.

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
2 cups diced fresh pineapple
1 teaspoon peeled, grated ginger
3 cups milk













Procedure:

1. Bring the sugar and water to a boil, stirring. Add the diced pineapple and ginger. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
2. Strain the syrup to remove the ginger and pineapple. Add the milk to the syrup. Freeze. Chill the pineapple.
3. When the ice cream is partially frozen, stir the chilled pineapple back in. Continue freezing. Thaw slightly before serving.

Makes 4 serving

The flavor of this darkish green gelatin can be a little overpowering, but it works well when balanced with sweet, syrupy fruits like canned
lychees.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
¾–1 cup boiling water
¼ cup sesame oil






Procedure:

1. Place the flour in a large bowl. Add the boiling water and quickly stir with a wooden spoon.
2. As soon as you can withstand the heat, knead the warm dough on a lightly floured surface until it is smooth. Cover with a damp cloth and
   let stand for 30 minutes.
3. Cut the dough in half. Roll each half into a 9-inch cylinder. Using a tape measure, lightly score and cut the dough into 1-inch pieces. You
   will have 18 pieces at this point.
4. Shape each piece into a ball and then flatten into a circle between the palms of your hands. Brush the top of each piece with sesame oil,
   and then place the pieces on top of each other, oiled sides together.
5. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the pieces into a 5½–6-inch circle. (Don't worry if the edges overlap.) Continue with the rest of the
   dough.
6. Heat a dry pan on low-medium heat. When the pan is hot, add one of the paired pancakes and cook on each side for 2 minutes or until
   brown bubbles appear (the second side will cook more quickly).Remove from the pan and pull the pancakes apart while they are still hot.
   Place on a plate and cover with a damp cloth while cooking the remainder.