The Hawaiian poke bowl has recently travelled further afield, trending around the world. But, what is it about poke bowls that make them so tempting? That’s simple. They have the warmth of Japanese umami and all the taste of sushi but are easier to eat. In fact, they’re the perfect one-bowl meals. In Hawaii, ‘poke’ literally translates as ‘to slice’ and refers to sliced raw fish which is marinated and served in a bowl with rice, vegetables and spicy sauces. While variations are endless, our simple poke bowl recipe takes a little over half an hour to make and is enough to satisfy two people.
Ingredients for a classic Hawaiian poke bowl
- 120g sushi rice
- 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tsp shichimi togarashi
- 200g fresh sushi-grade tuna (thickly sliced)
- Sea salt
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- Juice 1/2 lime + 2 wedges for garnish
- 1 – 2 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 avocado (halved and sliced)
- 10 cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 1 sheet nori (cut into pieces)
- 30g macadamia nuts (chopped)
- 2 spring onions (thinly sliced diagonally)
Poke bowl method
Cover the rice with cold water and work with hands to remove the starch. Rinse, drain and put into a saucepan with a small amount of water. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and leave lid on so the rice continues to steam for a further 15 minutes. Stir in the rice vinegar.
While the rice is cooking, mix together the mayonnaise and shichimi togarashi. Set aside. Chop tuna into 1cm cubes and sprinkle liberally with the sea salt. Mix sesame oil, soy sauce, lime juice and chilli flakes together. Add the tuna chunks and stir to coat thoroughly.
Put a mound of rice into two bowls. Top with half an avocado, the tuna and dressing, the cherry tomatoes and the nori. Sprinkle with the chopped nuts and spring onions then finish with a dollop of spicy mayonnaise.
Poke bowls in Singapore
A poke bowl is great for easy dining, perfect for lunch at your desk and a tasty way of getting all food groups in one spicy bowlful. Let foodpanda bring you a poke bowl from Singapore restaurants such as Poke Theory or Ju Ju Pokebowl (St George).
