(Serves 4) INGREDIENTS
Poke
12 ounces sushi-grade Ahi tuna, cut
into 1/4-inch cubes
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
1 tablespoon chopped scallion
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon Sriracha hot chili sauce (be
sure to use Tuong Ot Sriracha by Huy Fong
Foods available at most grocers)
1 whole English cucumber, seeded and
cut into 1/4-inch cubes
Ginger Soy Vinaigrette
1-inch piece of ginger root, peeled and roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 cup canola oil
1/3 cup sesame oil Sesame Crackers
1 cup all purpose flour
1 egg white
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
1/2 tablespoon ground coriander seeds
1/3 cup sesame oil
1/2 cup water METHOD OF PREPARATION
Ginger soy vinaigrette:
Combine ginger and garlic with rice wine vinegar and soy sauce in a blender. While the blender is running on high speed, drizzle in the combination of canola and sesame oils through the opening of the blender lid until the entire mixture turns into a thick emulsion. The vinaigrette's flavor will improve the second day, so make this a day ahead, if possible.
Sesame Cracker
Combine all ingredients with a whisk. The mixture should have a pancake batter consistency. If the batter is too thin, add more flour; add more water if the batter is too thick. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread the batter onto the parchment paper into a thin, even layer. Bake the cracker in a preheated 300-degree convection oven on the middle rack. Rotate the cookie sheet every 8 minutes to ensure even cooking. The baking process should take roughly 15-20 minutes depending upon the speed of the oven. When the cracker is done, it should feel dry in the center and should look evenly browned and crispy. Set aside to cool. Note: If you don't have a convection oven, it will take a bit longer to cook.
To assemble the dish:
Place diced tuna in a mixing bowl. In the following order, pour sesame oil onto the tuna and stir. Then add soy sauce and Sriracha and stir. Next add the ginger, scallion and cilantro and mix well. Set aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, toss the diced cucumbers with 3 tablespoons of ginger-soy vinaigrette.
Place a 4-inch ring mold in the center of each serving plate. First spoon the cucumbers into the ring mold, making an even layer on the bottom. Next place the tuna on top of the cucumbers. Us the back of the spoon to pack the tuna tightly into the ring mold. Insert a piece of sesame cracker into the ring mold, then carefully remove the ring mold from the plate and serve. (Note: Since I don't have 4-inch ring molds, when I served the dish to my dinner guests, I used individual glass bowls, so the layering effect was visible and this worked very well. Metro originally served this dish in martini stems, which would be a very nice touch for the home cook, too!)
Metro suggests pairing this dish with a sparkling rose.
INGREDIENTS
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA