Today I will show you how to make the Pokeworks Classic Sauce recipe at home in just a few minutes.
Poke is a traditional Hawaiian treat dating back hundreds of years. As most native dishes, Western countries rushed to modernize it for our tastes and sell it as something new.
Hawaiian culinary heritage advocates are trying to spread the word about the original Poke and the changes it has undergone in recent years. Let’s all learn how to make the most of this meal while remaining true to its origins.
At Pokeworks, you can get a Pokebowl perfectly suited to your taste preferences, be it traditional or something only slightly resembling a Poke.
All of these Pokeworks meals have one thing in common: the sauce! People go crazy for Pokeworks sauces. The classic sauce is the most popular of them. If you’ve ever wanted to make this at home, now’s your chance.
What is the Pokeworks Classic Sauce?
Pokeworks’ classic sauce is their most popular topping. Traditional poke bowls were simple, seasoned mostly with Hawaiian rock salt, seaweed, and kukui nuts. We’ve come a long way since then. Most modern poke seasonings are flavorful and dense with ingredients from all over the world, which would have been unimaginable in the past.
The classic Pokeworks sauce is based on a simple sesame and ginger vinaigrette, layered with ginger, Umami Shoyu, wasabi, and aioli.
It has a very complex taste profile. It’s light, airy, and fills your palate. Perfect for any seafood topping.
What ingredients do I need for this sauce?
Stock up some ingredients to save yourself a trip to the restaurant and make this sauce at home.
Chances are, it will be much better once you master the tricks. Seemingly, you need a ton of ingredients, but you only need a small amount from each. You can make sauces for months, daily from all these store-bought ingredients,
This is perfect for any fish dish, not just poke bowls.
You need to make a sesame-ginger vinaigrette first, with some minced garlic, minced ginger, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and toasted sesame seeds.
Aside from the sesame-ginger sauce, you’ll need Umami Shoyu, a Japanese thick brown soy sauce, preferably honey-infused. Also, some sweet ginger shoyu sauce, Sriracha, cilantro, lime, Hawaiian salt, sesame oil, and some chili flakes.
Pokeworks Classic Sauce Recipe
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
For the sesame-ginger vinaigrette:
- 2 Garlic cloves (minced)
- 2 teaspoon Ginger (ground or minced)
- 2 teaspoon Soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon Brown sugar
- 5 tbsp Rice vinegar
- 7 tbsp Sesame oil
- 1 tbsp Toasted sesame seeds
For the Pokeworks Classic Sauce:
- 5 tbsp Sesame-ginger vinaigrette
- 3 tbsp Umami Shoyu
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 2 tbsp Sweet ginger Shoyu sauce
- 2 tbsp Sriracha
- 2 tbsp Sesame oil
- Half handful of cilantro (chopped)
- 1 Lime (squeezed)
- 1 teaspoon Hawaiian rock salt
- 1 teaspoon Chili flakes
Instructions
- To make the delicious sesame-ginger vinaigrette, put the ingredients in a blender or food processor and work them together.
- After a few minutes, they should blend nicely.
- Set the vinaigrette aside in an airtight container for 1-2 hours so the flavors can mix well.
- To recreate the same classic sauce from Pokeworks, pour all the ingredients into a food processor and blend them until smooth. They should completely emulsify, making the texture perfectly even.
- Let it sit for a few hours, even better, overnight for the perfect experience. Keep it in an airtight container, not to spoil the aroma. It stays fresh in the fridge for up to a week.
- Let the sauce come to room temperature before topping your Poke bowl with it. The taste comes out better, as opposed to a cold sauce.
Will this sauce taste like the original?
To recreate the authentic classic sauce from Pokeworks, you must source all the ingredients; otherwise, it won’t taste the same.
Developing a professional recipe can take months or years to perfect. Follow the guides religiously if you want to duplicate the exact taste.
However, following the recipe, and sourcing all the ingredients can still go sideways, as we can’t be sure of the exact brand of the ingredients used by the restaurant. It’s worth experimenting with different brands until you get your preferred version, as they can differ slightly in taste and texture.
Can I replace some ingredients?
The only way to recreate the classic Pokeworks sauce is to use the same ingredients listed in the recipe.
However, life happens, and we might not find what we want in the grocery store. Fortunately, there are substitutes for getting a reasonably similar sauce or a slightly different one.
- Use tamari instead of soy sauce to make a gluten-free, wheat-free version.
- Siracha can easily substitute wasabi, and the overall flavor will be surprisingly similar.
- Use tahini instead of sesame seeds and oil. That will be a noticeable difference, but it will still be a delicious sauce.
- Aside from chili, some diced jalapenos work as well. If you can’t find sweet ginger soy sauce, caramelize some sliced ginger in honey or maple syrup, then add some soy sauce and cook for a few minutes.
That should do the trick!
Tips and tricks for a better sauce
The best tip for any sauce is to let the flavors blend.
Namely, put it in the fridge overnight. Fresh limes and ginger elevate the taste and give the sauce a distinct pop.
The same goes for cilantro. Don’t use dried cilantro for this recipe, as it will turn it slightly bitter.
Light beer complements these sauces perfectly, and it goes well with both tuna and salmon. There’s one interesting take on Poke sauces that is not well-known.
Traditional Poke sauces often use fresh pineapple juice or pineapple cubes, giving a distinct but unrivaled taste. I recommend giving it a shot at least once!
Final words
So, what exactly is Poke? It’s diced raw fish, served on rice with several sauces, sometimes veggies. It has many varieties, and the sauce is one of the main attractions of a Poke bowl.
There are many Poke chains in the US serving this healthy meal. Pokeworks is one of them. You can choose from a crazy amount of customized bowls or make one from scratch.
Make a DIY poke bar for your guests and let them make their own bowls the next time they come for dinner.
So, do you already know how to prepare the Pokeworks Classic Sauce recipe at home? Please, feel free to share your opinion in the comments below!
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