The all beloved and super trends bowl. I mean, how can you not love it? Rice, fresh seafood (or tofu), all the veggies, fresh fruits, covered with a super good sauce. What do you need more? Step away from classic and make this super tasty summer version!
What even is poke?
Poke is a traditional dish that originated in Hawaii. It usually is raw fish (just like Sashimi) over rice. This rice mostly is prepared as sushi rice. The fish usually is marinated before with soy sauce and then it all is assembled in a bowl with lots of veggies.
My poke bowl love
I have always been loving sushi. I also have always loved all kinds of bowls. And therefore I love poke bowls. Before it even was a trend I would always get it when I saw it on the menu. Because it is so good. And then, luckily, it became a trend and now you can find lots of places in Vienna that serve extremely delicious poke bowls. My absolute favourite one is HONU TIKI Bowls because they are just the best ones! Me and my bestie almost always go there to have them! Insanely good.
Since we went there (and still go there) very often, we also spent a lot of money on them. And they are not cheap. Raw and fresh seafood is pretty expensive and so are other fresh ingredients. So I thought, why not making it at home? It is easy, healthy and pretty tricking tasty.
How to build up a poke bowl:
Similar to my guide for a buddha bowl I am now gonna explain to you how to best build up a poke bowl.
- We need to start with a base. Traditionally I would use white rice or best, – – Sushi rice if you have that on hand. It is filling and adds a nice texture. If you want to can also use greens as a base to have more of a salad version or you could also do half half.
- Next we need our source of protein. Raw (or also cooked works fine) fish such as tuna or salmon but you can also long for tofu or grilled chicken, prawns or beef.
- Next up our marinade. This is important because it adds a lot of flavour to your protein and the entire bowl. I love doing a teriyaki sort of marinade but feel free to do something else.
- Of course we also need some veggies. Here you are totally free and you can add whatever you want. For me, edamame or peas, cucumbers and tomatoes are always a must! But honestly, everything works well here!
- Not to forget: Fruits! May sound a little weird a first but it is a game changer. It adds so much sweetness and freshness to it, that’s insane! I promise you, you will love it
- A crunch: Here I love to use spring onions, sesame seeds, nori, or some sort of nuts. This just adds such a nice twist to the texture! Absolutely love it!
- The sauce: Maybe this is the most important part of the entire bowl! Why? Because you are going to mix everything with it, and if it is not good, everything won’t be good. Here you can long for a mayo based one (which not always is the healthiest choice) or some soy sauce or peanut sauce.
What is in this bowl?
As a base we are using Sushi rice. The one I use is from Reishunger and it is super tasty! Btw: with the code REISKATIE you can get your favourite rice for free there!
As for veggies we use peas, broccoli, tomatoes, asparagus, cucumber and wakame (these are alleges which you can get at your asian restaurant or your fish market).
Fruitwise, we are going for apricots. they are coming into season now and they are regional. If you don’t like those, go for mango instead.
Our protein is salmon or tuna. I always make both of them because in my family we like different ones. But you can also use tofu if you want a vegan version, and leave out the fish sauce in the marinade
So next on to the marinade, it is sort of a teriyaki one. Super good and addicting!
Our crunch are spring onions, which are super good here! They add a crunch and some freshness.
Last but not least: the sauce. A peanut sauce. This stuff is seriously good. And seriously addicting. But also super easy!
Are poke bowls healthy?
Yes they are! Well usually, you always have exceptions. But rice is not unhealthy, raw fish is healthy because of its high protein content and it is not fried or prepared with a lot of oil. Plus, in poke bowls you always have tons of veggies, which also give you loads of vitamins, just as the fruits does. The sauce on top is not always healthy, so make sure to check what you are using. Mayo-based ones are not always healthy. What you should also look out for is that you do not always choose soy sauce based sauces because they are loaded with vitamins. So all in all, pretty healthy.
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do (because I am obsessed with it) and enjoy it all throughout summer. It is such an easy one, I would really recommend making it!
Summer Poke Bowl
A summery version of the all time favorite and healthy dish! Raw fish with plenty of veggies, rice and a super tasty peanut sauce!
What you will need
- 600 g tuna or salmon in sashimi quality (meaning you can eat it raw)
- 250 g rice
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- 200 g broccoli
- 100 g peas
- 200 g asparagus green or white whatever you want, but when using white you need to peel it first
- 1/2 large cucumber
- 200 g tomatoes
- some wakame optional
- 4 apricots
- 1 spring onion
For the marinade:
- 50 ml soy sauce
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce optional
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 tbsp sriracha/ hot sauce optional
- 1 tbsp honey or maple
For the peanut sauce
- 100 ml full fat coconut milk
- 30 g peanut butter about 2 tbsp
- 30 g soy sauce about 2 tbsp
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1/2 lime juiced
How to
For the fish:
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Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl. Cut up the fish into 1-1.5 cm sized cubes and add to the marinade. Marinate for 2 hours or longer. The longer, the more intense the flavor will be.
The rice:
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Prepare the rice according to package instructions. When done, remove from the heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Then mix the rice wine vinegar with the sugar and mix it into the rice. Set aside.
The veggies & fruit:
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Steam or boil the broccoli, (green) asparagus, and peas for about 5 minutes in salted water, then drain. Cut the cucumber into small cubes. Half the tomatoes when using cherry tomatoes or also cut them into small cubes when using large ones.
Depit the apricot and also cut it into small cubes. Finely slice the spring onions.
The sauce.
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Mix all of the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl. When it is too thick, add some water to thin it out.
Assemble!
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Divide the Sushi rice onto the bowls. Next add the fish with the marinade followed by all the veggies and fruit except for the spring onions. Top with the sauce and then lastly add the spring onions! Serve and enjoy!
Enjoy,
Happy cooking,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière
