Poke bowls, in case you haven’t had one yet, are made of rice topped with seaweed, raw fish and vegetables to which you can add all sorts of delicious toppings and sauces. Although they sound very sushi-esque, they actually originated in Hawaii and have been popping up everywhere in the past few years, including right here in Dubai.

There is just something so satisfying about these bowls of deliciousness that I cannot get enough of. They are filling but healthy and full of flavor. So naturally, I have tried recreating them at home and luckily, it is very very easy. The really nice thing about making them at home is that you can choose the quality of your ingredients and get pretty creative with them. All you need are a couple of key ones and you are set. Apart from the raw fish, most of them can be bought online at this great little Japanese online shop called Gurumeya without breaking the bank.

In the recipe below, I have made little appetizers pokes but you can use the same quantity to make a large bowl. Feel free to switch up the fruits, veg and toppings; vegans like to use tofu, others swap the fish for chicken, anything goes. In fact, you could probably throw a poke party and have everyone make their own….

Makes 1 big bowl or 6 appetizer shot glasses

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup dry seaweed (I use wakame)
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 200 grams good quality raw tuna or salmon, diced in 1cm cubes
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1/4 cup papaya or mango, diced
• 1/2 avocado, diced
• 3 tbsp soya or tamari sauce
• 1 tbsp yuzu juice (you can substitute with lime, it will be good but have a different taste)
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tsp sesame or groundnut oil
• 2 nori sheets or a packet of seasoned nori snacks
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 3 tbsp good quality mayonnaise
• 1 tsp sriracha sauce
• Toasted coconut chips
• A few tbsp cilantro, chopped

Instructions

1. Soak the seaweed in 5 times its volume of boiling water (off the heat) for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Prepare the dressing by whisking together the soya, yuzu juice, mirin and sesame oil in a small bowl
3. Prepare the mayonnaise by mixing together the mayonnaise and sriracha
4. Cut the nori sheets into thin strips and mix with sesame seeds. Set aside.
5. Take 6 shot glasses. Fill each one with 2 tbsp of quinoa and then layer with seaweed
6. Then a bit of dressing and top with some avocado, mango, raw fish, nori/sesame mix, coconut chips and cilantro.
7. Drizzle with sriracha mayonnaise before serving