Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
A poke bowl makes a healthy, light lunch or evening meal with minimal cooking. They're ideal for summer when the weather is hot and you don't feel like being in the kitchen.
The rice is all that needs cooking in this recipe. The Edamame beans are simply reheated. For this reason, this is a simple recipe to cook on the stovetop, microwave, rice cooker or Thermomix.
What is a Poke Bowl?
Did you know that Poke is actually a Hawaiian dish? The name refers to the cubed pieces of marinated raw fish which is traditionally an essential ingredient in the recipe. The recipe was developed to use up the offcuts of premium sushi-grade fish after the day's catch. The Poke bowl traditionally starts with a base of rice, and then the marinated raw fish is added with any other available ingredients.
This recipe makes four very generous servings and is super easy to make. The second time I prepared this dish I made a vegetarian bowl and arranged the ingredients directly into lunchboxes. The dressing was kept separate in a small ziplock bag until lunchtime. Feel free to load the rice up with all your family's favourite toppings for a personalised, healthy dish.
Tuna Poke Bowl Substitute Ingredients
As I said initially, this recipe is like a blank slate. Once you've cooked a delicious, seasoned rice it's possible to tailor the recipe to your own personal taste.
Substitutes
- White Rice FOR brown rice recipe, quinoa OR cauliflower rice
- Green Salad leaves FOR Dry Slaw OR Purple Cabbage
- Edamame FOR Green Peas
- Sushi Tuna FOR Sushi Salmon OR cooked Teriyaki Chicken OR Marinated Tofu.
- Roasted Nori Sheets FOR Bonito Flakes OR Alg Seaweed Flakes
- Pickled ginger FOR Picked Diakon
- Kewpie Roasted Sesame Dressing FOR Kewpie Mayonnaise
- Sushi Rice Seasoning Sprinkles FOR Black or white sesame seeds OR Alg Rainbow Seasoning
*I was able to find all the ingredients to make these bowls in Woolworths. I have provided a few links for some of the unusual products. These aren't affiliate links, they're simply so that readers will know what the product looks like.
The other day my daughter showed me a cute Instagram image of coloured sushi rice. I knew straight away that I wanted to make this colourful tuna poke bowl for her. So if you have a little girl you may want to try a pink poke bowl.
How to Make Pink Sushi Rice
I produced the purple-pink rice colour by boiling a small amount of purple cabbage with the rice. To reduce food waste it's best to use the damaged outer leaves of the cabbages and any parts that would normally be trimmed from the cabbage and discarded.
Making White Sticky Rice
If you would prefer to use regular white sticky rice omit the purple cabbage!
Thermomix Method
Follow my standard sushi rice recipe here.
TIP: In the last 5 minutes of the rice cooking time, add the edamame beans to the Varoma to heat through.
Rice Cooker Method
- Place 320g of washed sushi rice in the rice cooker
- Add 650g water, 60 ml rice wine vinegar, 1 Tbs sugar, and 1 tsp salt.
- Chop 60g purple cabbage and wrap it in a muslin cloth, add to the water.
- Turn the rice cooker on.
Why not hit the pin button, and save the recipe for later?
Other Healthy Salad Recipes
I enjoy eating healthy salads all year round. If you're a filling salad I would recommend either the Peanut Chicken Skewers with Salad or the Popcorn Chicken Salad. For something deliciously vegan try the Green Goddess Cranberry and Pistachio Salad or the Tofu & Soba Noodle Salad, they will be perfect. The Chicken Salad is fabulous as a sandwich filling and the Apple Slaw and Salmon Potato Salad make excellent side dishes. So I would love you to check them out and let me know what you think!
Poke Bowl FAQ's
The only things that are always in a poke bowl are a grain, usually rice, a protein, usually fish, sauce and salad. You can choose any variations of these.
The poke bowl was developed in Hawaii by Japanese fisherman.
There is more salad in the poke bowl. So as long as you don't go too big with the sauce a poke bowl is healthy. They are both fabulous eating options.
There could be two reasons for this, too much sauce or too much rice. Swap out half the rice with more salad and don't add too much sauce. You will have a much leaner meal.
Fish is an excellent source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Heat can destroy some omega-3 so eating it raw is even better for you than cooked fish.
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Easy Poke Bowl Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Pink Sushi Rice
- 300 g sushi rice
- 1000 g water warm
- 1 TBS sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 60 g rice wine vinegar
- 150 g edamame frozen (frozen broad beans can also be used)
- 60 g rice wine vinegar additional (to be added once the rice is cooked)
Tuna Poke Toppings
- 60 g mixed lettuce leaves
- 250 g salmon or tuna raw sushi grade sliced thinly
- 100 g cucumber thinly sliced
- 1 avocado cut in quarter
- 60 g purple cabbage
- 80 g carrot
- 4 g roasted seaweed
Dressing
- 8 TBS Kewpie Japanese roasted sesame dressing
- 4 TBS Roasted sushi sprinkles
Instructions
Sushi Rice
- Place the sushi rice in the internal steam basket. Wash it well under running water.300 g sushi rice
- Place the internal steam basket in TM bowl.
- Add water, sugar, salt and 60g vinegar to the TM. Cook 14 min/Varoma/Speed 4.1000 g water, 1 TBS sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 60 g rice wine vinegar
- Remove MC. Place Edamame in the deep Varmoa basket in a single layer. Add the Varoma to the Thermomix lid. Cook 6 min/Varoma/ Speed 4.150 g edamame
- Once TM is finished turn the rice out into a large bowl and pour over the rice wine vinegar. Stir through gently, cover with a tea towel and allow the rice to cool.60 g rice wine vinegar
Assembly
- Arrange four serving bowls next to the prepared ingredients.
- Add the cooked rice to one half of each bowl.
- Divide the salad leaves between each of the bowl. Arrange the bowl so that salad fills one half and rice fills the other half.60 g mixed lettuce leaves
- Carefully arrange remaining ingredients around the bowl allowing some of the pink rice to show through.250 g salmon, 100 g cucumber, 1 avocado, 60 g purple cabbage, 80 g carrot, 4 g roasted seaweed
- When you're ready to serve, allow guests to add their own dressing and sushi seasoning.8 TBS Kewpie Japanese roasted sesame dressing, 4 TBS Roasted sushi sprinkles
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Thanks For Stopping By!
I hope you have enjoyed this story. Feel free to leave a comment or start a discussion. If you have made a dish from this site I would love to know what you thought!
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Thank you for stopping by,
Happy Cooking
j xx
Natalie says
I love poke bowls! Looks so delicious and healthy! Such a great idea for a healthy dinner.
Julie Carlyle says
Thank you so much 🙂
Danielle says
Yum! I love poke bowls, but have only ever had them at restaurants. This looks so doable at home!
Julie Carlyle says
It really is super easy 🙂
Adrianne says
Fascinating! I love how healthy and delicious this looks. I also like that I got to see how to make the rice from the steaming process. Funny how one photo can inspire us, insta is great for brainstorming! Great recipe, cheers!
Julie Carlyle says
I'm so pleased you found the steaming photo useful. I love being inspired by Instagram 🙂 Anais, my daughter actually showed me the coloured rice idea.
Chris Collins says
That pink sushi rice is heavenly! Such an all round gorgeous recipe!!
Saima says
This poke bowl looks so colourful and exotic! And it's great that you have listed the substitutions.. so handy for people who don't want to include all the ingredients from the original.
Julie Carlyle says
Hi Saima, thank you so much for your kind comments. I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂