What is a Poke Bowl? + 20 Best Poke Bowl Recipes!

You’ll learn everything you need to know about ordering and making poke bowls, from the ingredients to the sauces to the nutrition facts. I’ll also show you how to make your own at home using some of my favorite poke bowl recipes.

What is a Poke Bowl?

Poke bowls are magical for those who’ve had the good fortune to sample one. I love the bright pink color, the variety of toppings, and the heavenly taste!

One of Hawaii’s most popular dishes, a poke bowl, can be prepared in many different ways. Cubed, raw ahi tuna is a major part of the dish’s distinctive flavor profile. Salmon, hamachi, octopus, or even tofu can be added to a bowl of poke. The fish is seasoned with salt and a variety of other ingredients. Furikake and rice are the usual accompaniments to this dish.

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Poke Bowl Pronunciation

Let’s clear up any confusion regarding how to order at your neighborhood poke joint before you go there! PO-keh is the correct pronunciation of the Japanese word for poké. Hulu’s for “cut into chunks” is a Hawaiian term for the chunk. Isn’t it easy to understand?

Poke bowls have gained popularity in recent years all around the world, not only in Hawaii. To keep up with the ever-expanding popularity of ahi in the global food scene, poke bowls and the ingredients used to make them have also expanded in number and variety. Let’s get started with the fundamentals first.

The cubed fish is generally sold by the pound, with your preferred marinade, and is a good source of protein. The “genuine” choices are ahi tuna and octopus, with the former being the default. Salmon, on the other hand, is a fairly frequent delicacy.

If you’re in Hawaii, you’ll be able to find a variety of ingredients for your poke, from mussels to pipikaula, a dried beef product. It’s incredibly adaptable.

A mild, umami-rich marinade of salt and/or Japanese soy sauce, oftentimes sesame oil, garlic, and ginger are stirred into fresh fish. Sesame seeds, green onions or sweet white onions, or chili flakes are common ingredients in Asian cuisine.

Poke bowls are often served with white sushi rice as the foundation. If you don’t have sushi rice, you can substitute plain short- or medium-grain rice. Brown rice can also be used by some. Often, steaming greens or cauliflower rice can be substituted for the rice at poke bars and restaurants. Poke bowls are evolving and becoming more appealing as the dish gains in popularity.

Poke Bowl Toppings

Other popular toppings, although not always authentic to the original recipe, include:

• various types of seaweed: furikake, nori, ogo, wakame
• sliced or diced avocado
• edamame beans
• crab meat or shrimp/prawns
• fish roe
• fermented vegetables
• raw vegetables like radish, cucumber, carrots
• sesame seeds and fried shallots
• mango
• jalapenos
• cilantro
• mushrooms
• tofu

Poke Bowl Sauce Ideas

The Japanese influence is prominent in the list of ingredients for sauces for poke bowls. shoyu, ponzu, and yuzu are some of the sauces you’ll encounter. It’s also common to see Sriracha mayonnaise or a more tropical spicy coconut sauce.

With so many options, it can be difficult to pick the best ones. All it takes is a little experimentation. Poke bowls are frequently served with two types of sauce: one for marinating the fish and another for drizzling over the whole thing, which is rather usual.

Using cupboard basics, you can whip up a slew of sauces.

• Stir in some ketchup and hot sauce to regular mayonnaise to make spicy mayonnaise.
• Soy sauce can be sweetened with honey, ginger, and garlic and grated finely.
• Lemon zest and juice, along with soy sauce, honey, and sesame oil, can be used in place of the citrus ingredient yuzu.
• Ponzu sauce is a citrus-flavored soy sauce-based drizzle.
  Goma, a Japanese sesame dressing, is also excellent.

The nutritional value of poke bowls has been discovered to be quite high. Fast-casual poke joints and restaurants that offer “build-your-own-bowl” options make it easy to eat well on the go.

Protein, healthy fats (especially omega-3s), and flavor make poke bowls ideal for sustaining energy levels and preventing overeating. The nutrients in a bowl of fish, rice, and veggies are well-balanced, and the amount of B vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals is particularly high.

How Many Calories Are in a Poke Bowl?

However, you may expect to consume between 300 and 600 calories each serving. Mayonnaise-based sauces, additional rice, and fried toppings, all of which are becoming more frequent at fast-casual poke joints, are the most obvious signs of a higher-calorie bowl. If the dish’s name includes the word “spicy,” it may be a more expensive one.

It is possible to make a low-calorie version of this dish by using rice, fish, vegetables, and a shoyu-based sauce.

As early as the reign of King Kalakaua, Polynesians in the Kingdom of Hawaii produced poke from a few simple, staple ingredients: fish, Hawaiian salt, and limu, which is a form of seaweed or algae commonly found on the ocean floor.

Roasted candlenut flesh or cinnamon can be added to the base. Macadamia nuts are closely linked to this nut, which has a buttery flavor and texture. If you wish to make this dish at home, macadamia nuts are likely to be more readily available.

It’s possible to find the original recipe all around the island of Hawaii. Poke and a la carte components like ogo, a stringy, reddish seaweed, can be found at most grocery chains and specialty Asian stores on the islands.

It’s also typical to see Maui onions (white onions), soy sauce (shoyu), sesame oil, and a garnish of green scallions, chili flakes, and furikake in contemporary Hawaiian poke bowls.

Below you’ll find a complete list of ingredients, preparation directions, and further comments on cooking. Please leave a comment if you have any queries or if you prepare this dish and rate it so others may discover it.

Description

In this basic recipe, ahi tuna is marinated in soy sauce and served over warm sushi rice in a Hawaiian poke bowl. Additional toppings are optional. One pound (450-500 grams) of fish yields about 2-4 servings, depending on the rest of the ingredients. Poke fish can be made in any quantity you like.