The fish dish from Hawaii known as poké became a global sensation that reached peak trend a few years ago. It's still one of my favourite ways to assemble a summer salad even though it's dropped off the instagram feed. It's a whole meal in a bowl, with lots of pleasing flavours and textures. And you can make it with tofu instead of tuna! You can also use all kinds of veggies in this dish. In the recipe below I've included what I had to hand but you could adapt to what you have in your fridge – I'd recommend radishes, avocado, finely sliced fennel, kohlrabi, french beans and greens like rocket, shredded kale or salad leaves.
I would also recommend making double and storing the veggies, rice and sauce separately, so you make up more quick lunches in the week.
A note on the Poke sauce – I used a Kikkoman pre-made Poke sauce for extra speediness but you can make your own. I've offered the sauce recipe below.
Serves 2
1 block of firm tofu, about 200g (I used Tofoo brand)
½ cup short grain rice, cooked to packet instructions (I used brown jasmine rice)
1 handful of mange tout, sliced
2 small carrots, thinly sliced
1 cup shredded summer cabbage
1 large handful of chopped herbs – I used a combo of basil, coriander & mint
2 spring onions, sliced
1 small cucumber, sliced
3 Tbsp Poke sauce plus extra for drizzling
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Poke sauce
1/2 finely chopped red chilli (or pinch of chilli flakes)
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tsp toasted sesame oil
Juice of 1 lime
First prep the sauce – in a smallish bowl, whisk together all the ingredients
Marinade the tofu in the poke sauce – drain the tofu and press as much excess water out of it as you can. I do this by placing it in a tea towel and pressing down firmly on all edges.
Cut the tofu into bite sized cubes and toss in about 3 Tbsp of the poke sauce – enough to coat all pieces. Leave that to marinade for as long as possible – if you're being really organised, I'd do this the night before and let it marinade over night. If not, then just half hour will be fine.
Cook the rice – in a small saucepan, add a cup of water (250ml) with a pinch of salt. Put the lid on a bring to the boil. Add a half cup of rice, place the lid firmly on, reduce heat to low and leave to simmer for approx 15-20 minutes. Once the rice has absorbed all the water, it should be done. If the rice is still a bit hard, add a bit more water and keep on hat for a but longer.
Assemble your bowls – place about a half cup of rice in the centre of a bowl and arrange the chopped veggies and tofu around it. Sprinkle some extra dressing over the top and some toasted sesame seeds if you have them.
Serve and enjoy!
