Ahi Poke is available all over Hawaii in restaurants and sushi bars and is even sold, pre-made, in supermarkets.
I first tried ahi poke on a visit to Hawaii in 2004 and was pleasantly surprised by the modern take on traditional Japanese sashimi, as well as the successful addition of coriander and the sweet nutty sesame seeds.
This recipe is quick and easy so all you'll need is fresh tuna and a healthy appetite.
Ahi Poke
Recipe from Williams-Sonoma cookbook “Savouring America”. Serves 6.
Ingredients:
500g sashimi-grade tuna steaks, skin & bones removed
½ cup finely chopped sweet onion
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander
2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
Few dashes of sesame oil
Large pinch of coarse sea salt
Pinch of red chilli flakes
Coriander leaves for garnish
Method:
1. Using a sharp knife, cut the tuna into small 2cm by 2cm cubes.
2. Place tuna in a bowl and add all other ingredients.
3. Toss the mixture gently to blend evenly. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour.
4. Serve garnished with coriander leaves.
Notes: Ahi poke is best eaten within a few hours of being made, but can be kept in the refrigerator for one day. Hawaiians use Maui onion, but for those of us outside the US, any sweet onion will substitute. Yellow-fin tuna is best for this recipe, although any other sashimi-grade is fine.
" Open Sesame"
Sesame is a plant widely cultivated for its deliciously nutritious seeds which contain high levels of copper, manganese, tryptophan, calcium magnesium, iron, phosphorous, zinc, vitamin B1, and dietary fibre.
In countries without oil groves, sesame oil is an important cooking oil. In fact sesame seeds are extremely rich in oil - an estimated 50% of the seed.
The origin of sesame is unknown, but studies show its closest cousins growing in Africa. The first records of cultivation come from 2000 BCE in Assyria and Babylon (modern day Iraq and Syria). It later spread throughout the Middle East and Asia.
The etymological root of the English word sesame shows its path through world cuisines. The Latin sesamum came from the Greek sēsámon which had fashioned itself after the Aramaic shūmshĕmā. This was a derivative of Babylonian shawash-shammu via Assyrian shamash-shammū. What amazes me more than anything is how close the English word remains to the original Assyrian source despite geographical distance and thousands of years.
Around 4000 years ago in China, records show sesame seed was burnt to create soot for making ink. In Ancient Greece, soldiers carried sesame seeds as emergency rations and in India, sesame is a good luck omen for Brahmins who use it as anointing oil.
It is said that The Arabian Night’s tale used “open sesame” as the magic access to the thieves den because the sound of a sesame seed being released from its pod is similar to a lock opening.
In the Middle East sesame seeds are used to make a nut paste (tahini) and a dessert (helva). In Syria and Lebanon it’s an important ingredient in a spice dip (zatar) and sesame seeds crown Turkey’s favourite snack food (simit). In Greece sesame seeds are set into slices sweetened with honey (pasteli) and they are also widely used in Indian, Korean and Japanese cuisine as a garnish and flavouring. In Europe, seeds are sprinkled over cakes and breads as decoration.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesame
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=84
http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/sesame.html
http://www.jeffersoninstitute.org/pubs/sesame.shtml
http://www.apinchof.com/sesame1015.html
Tags: morsels and musings food blog food and drink australia recipes appetiser snack sashimi seafood fish tuna maguro ahi ahi poke hawaii japan japanese food hawaiian food japanese recipe hawaiian recipe coriander cilantro soy sauce onion maui onion sweet onionsesame seeds sesame sesame oil
First, Roberto came back from Mexico with Jonas’ drug of choice – Valentina sauce. He also brought the smoky flavours of chipotle in the form of Mexico’s famous Lucero sauce. I was not forgotten with a tetra pak of salsa verde, my favourite sauce because of the tangy, sourness of the tomatillos and the fiery chilli.
Next arrival was Vicky’s magnifique assortment of goodies from her month in Lyon: orange blossom lozenges, Dijon mustard flavoured with currants, a dainty bottle of Poire William eau di vie, Versinthe and raspberry infused dark chocolate and a small tin of Valrhona chocolates. Little did Vicky know of my obsession with violet flavoured candy and so the surprise pièce de résistance were the hard violet bonbons.
Last but not least was the final restocking of our extensive sauce cabinet courtesy of my father and stepmother. They hauled back bottles of sauces from the US which are impossible to find in Sydney: Jack Daniel’s BBQ sauce, Liquid Smoke to add flavour to Jonas’ veggie burgers, smoky chipotle flavoured Tabasco and my all time favourite chilli sauce, Louisiana Hot Sauce (flavoured with cayenne and vinegar).
It’s still Good Food Month and I managed to squeeze in another Let’s Do Lunch, this time at Forty One Restaurant. 
The Tasmanian ocean trout was described as “slow-cooked” and it was a healthy pink-orange hue and almost raw. The flavour was delicious and the meat flaked away easily without even using a knife. A light butter, lemon and chive sauce had been spooned over the fish added an excellent sour twang.
Next arrived the dessert. A dark chocolate pannacotta had been sprinkled with crunchy praline pieces and served with tongues of biscotti and a strawberry and passionfruit salsa. Of course Tim enjoyed his sans fruit due to his fruitophobia.
Spaghettini con Zucchini
As a kid I hated zucchini. Dad used to serve them up steamed and I couldn’t stand the soft, nothingness of them.
Zorra from 
Schiacciata is a traditional Tuscan flatbread. Schiacciare means “to flatten or crush” in Italian and describes the foccacia-like shape of the bread. This bread can be savoury (rosemary and salt; zucchini; tomato paste) or sweet.
So just what is World Bread Day?
In English, the word bread derived from a Germanic root of the verb “to break” and even today the word for bread in Germanic languages are very similar (German = Brot; Dutch = brood; Swedish = bröd; Norwegian = brød).
According to Wikipedia, Germany wins the prize for the highest consumption of bread, because in one year, 82 million Germans consume:
Pacific oysters are not native to Australian waters and were introduced from Asia. They can grow anywhere and as one of the oyster growers at the Forum said, “I could cultivate them in a bathtub”. They are very fast to mature (about 12 months) whereas Sydney Rock Oysters take at least 2½ years. Pacific oysters are prized for their size and white flesh.
Angasi oysters Ostrea angasi (above) are oysters native to southern QLD, WA and all southern States in Australia. They were an important part of the Aboriginals’ diet before Europeans arrived but were almost wiped out due to settler’s desire for the large shells to make mortar.
We were directed to go through our oyster tasting plate in specific order since the flavours of each oyster needed to be taken into context with each other. 
Control oyster (centre)
Sydney Rock – Hastings Rivers, NSW
Sydney Rock – Pambula, NSW
The oysters were matched with some of the yummiest wines I’ve tried recently. They were all very light bodied with high acidity and slight citrus tones.
The entrée consisted of still more oysters, this time Pacific oysters were coated in coarse breadcrumbs and fried. They retained their moisture and plumpness but were contrasted with the extreme crispiness of the crumbs. They were served with delicate shreds of smoked salmon and baby rocket leaves.
For our main course we indulged in farmed Hiramasa kingfish with roasted kipfler potato and parsnip and a tomato, parsley and caper salsa. The fish was cooked perfectly: the flesh flaked under a fork and had a soft bounce in the mouth. The skin had been salted well and its crispy texture contrasted well with the sweet meat. Very well done considering the kitchen was pumping out 80+ to feed all the guests at the Oyster Forum.
For dessert we were served pannacotta. I am usually very disdainful of pannacotta. It’s ubiquitous on Australian restaurant menus and it’s rarely done well. More often than not you battle between gluggy mush or hard gelatine rocks. The flavouring of a pannacotta is also a delicate balance, with many tasting very bland.