Poke ʻUlu (Hawaiian Breadfruit Poke)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large steamer basket or 6-quart pot with steamer insert
• •Wide wooden serving bowl or carved ʻumeke
• •Broad spoon for folding without mashing

Instructions

1. 1

   Choose the ʻulu

   Pick a mature firm ʻulu, green to yellow-green, heavy for its size, with just a little give and no sour smell. Too green and it eats dry and stubborn. Too ripe and it turns sweet and soft, good for dessert but not this poke. Eat what you have, but choose the fruit for the job.

   If the ʻulu leaks latex, rub a little oil on your knife and hands. The tree is doing what the tree does. No blame the breadfruit.
2. 2

   Cook it tender

   Rinse the ʻulu, cut out the stem, and quarter it through the core. Steam the quarters over simmering water for 30 to 35 minutes, until a knife slides through the flesh without a fight but the pieces still hold their shape. The color should turn creamy and even, with no hard pale center left.

3. 3

   Cool and clean

   Let the ʻulu cool until you can handle it, then peel off the skin and cut away the spongy core. Cube the flesh into bite-size pieces, about 3/4 inch. Warm ʻulu drinks seasoning better than cold ʻulu, so don't wait until it goes stiff.

4. 4

   Dress the bowl

   In a wide bowl, stir together the shoyu, sesame oil, rice vinegar or lime juice, and Hawaiian sea salt. Fold in the warm ʻulu cubes gently, turning them with your hands or a broad spoon so the edges stay whole and glossy, not mashed.

5. 5

   Add the reef

   Add the sweet onion, limu, ʻinamona, green onion, sesame seeds, and chile if you're using it. Fold just until everything is scattered through. The limu should taste like the reef, the ʻinamona should bring roast and richness, and the ʻulu should stay creamy at the center.

   Kukui nut must be properly roasted and prepared as ʻinamona. If you don't have a trusted source, use toasted macadamia nuts. Keeper, not gatekeeper, but safety comes first.
6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Let the poke sit 10 minutes, then taste again for salt, shoyu, and acid. Serve at room temperature in a wide bowl, with rice, greens, or whatever the table already has. Deep food is not fancy. It's fed people a long time.

Chef Tips

• •For poke ʻulu, mature firm breadfruit is the one. If yours is very ripe and fragrant, roast it or turn it sweet instead. The bowl will tell you what it wants.
• •Fresh limu makes the dish speak most clearly, but ogo from a good market works. Rinse it well, drain it well, and add it near the end so it keeps its snap.
• •ʻInamona is Hawaiian, made from roasted kukui nut and salt. Buy it from somebody who knows the work, or use toasted macadamia nuts for a weeknight bowl.
• •This is good warm or room temperature, not fridge-cold. Cold ʻulu firms up, so if you make it ahead, let it sit out a bit before serving.

Advance Preparation

• •Steam the ʻulu up to 1 day ahead, peel and cube it, then refrigerate covered. Bring it toward room temperature before dressing so it can drink the seasoning.
• •Slice the onion and green onion a few hours ahead and keep them chilled. Add limu, ʻinamona, and sesame close to serving so the bowl stays fresh.
• •Leftovers keep 2 days in the fridge. Fold gently before serving and brighten with a small splash of shoyu or lime if the ʻulu has absorbed the dressing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 190g)