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Who knew it was so easy to bring your favorite sushi home? This easy Poke Bowl Recipe is packed with sushi-grade ahi tuna seasoned with soy, honey, and plenty of sesame. It’s served with sticky brown rice, tons of veggies and these easiest spicy mayo on the planet.
Kind of obsessed with easy Asian dishes, so I definitely want to also share this Easy General Tso Shrimp,this Sticky Asian Glazed Chicken, and this Asian Pan Seared Salmon with Honey Sesame Dressing.
Poke Bowl Recipe
Think you can only get poke bowls at a restaurant? Think again! This Poke Bowl Recipe is SO easy to make at home, and once you DO make it at home, you may never order it at a restaurant again.
Our version of a poke bowl recipe is made with saucy ahi tuna, sticky brown rice, crunchy carrots and cucumber, edamame, lots of avocado, and of course, plenty of spicy mayo. It’s the perfect combination of sweet, salty, spicy, crunchy, sticky, and ALL the things.
The beauty of this Poke Bowl Recipe is that it’s totally customizable. Love salmon? Use that instead. Not into edamame? Leave it out. No problem. Of course, I think the combination of OUR recipe is the ultimate poke bowl, so there’s that.
What is a poke bowl?
If you’re not quite sure what a poke bowl is, at its simplest definition it’s diced raw fish. Poke means to slice or cut, so that’s why almost all poke bowl recipes you see call for diced fish. A lot of times, poke is served simply as an appetizer with just the fish itself, but here we’ve turned it into an entire meal with the addition of rice and vegetables.
Is a Poke Bowl Healthy?
Our is! The only fats in this poke bowl recipe are in the avocado, which is a heart-healthy fat and the mayo, which is used sparingly. Ahi tuna itself has a little bit of fat, but again, it’s a good fat for you. We also opt for brown rice instead of white rice or noodles, so you’re getting a great dose of fiber.
Ingredients in the Poke Bowl Recipe
- Ahi Tuna. You want to find ahi tuna that’s sushi-grade. If you’re not sure, just ask your fish monger. I got mine at Whole Foods and as you can see, it was so gorgeous and fresh!
- The seasonings. The “sauce” for the ahi tuna is pretty simple and, I’m guessing, things you already have in your fridge. You’ll need tamari (soy sauce also works), sesame oil, honey, and rice vinegar. If you want things a little bit spicy in addition to the spicy mayo, you can add a little bit of sriracha.
- The veggies. You can use whatever you’d like, but my favorite combination is an assortment of shredded carrots, diced cucumber, and edamame. I love all the crunch and texture these three veggies have, plus they’re all different sizes which is a nice texture variation.
- Avocado. No poke bowl recipe is complete without a little bit of avocado!
- Mayo. To me, there isn’t a different between full-fat mayo and light mayo, so that’s what I use here. A little bit goes a long way since we just drizzle the top of the ahi tuna bowls with the spicy mayo.
- Sriracha. As aforementioned, you can use a little bit of sriracha in the ahi tuna, but we really need it for the spicy mayo. We use one teaspoon per quarter cup of mayo, but if you want it hotter, add more.
- Green onion and black sesame seeds. These are our garnishes and add a really pretty visual, but if you don’t have them, feel free to leave them out.
- Brown rice. You can use a variety of things for these poke bowls, but to keep things healthy, I like to use brown rice. I have a rice maker, so it makes perfect rice every single time, but if you don’t, you can also pick up a carton of your favorite brown rice at your local chine restaurant.
How to make this Poke Bowl Recipe
- Cook the rice. Brown rice takes a little longer to cook than white rice, so be aware of that. My rice cooker usually cooks it in about 40 minutes. You can also do this step ahead of time.
- Marinate the tuna. Use a VERY sharp knife to cut the ahi tuna into a bite-size dice. Add to a medium bowl. Stir with soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, and sesame oil. Let the ahi tuna marinate while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Make the spicy mayo. Add the mayo and sriracha to a small bowl. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Add the mayo to a small ziplock baggie. Cut a small piece of the corner off.
- Assemble the bowls. Told you this was easy! Spoon the cooked rice into a bowl. Spoon the marinated tuna over the rice. Arrange the cucumber, carrot, and edamame around it. Fan out the avocado on top. Sprinkle with sesame deeds and chopped green onion. Drizzle with spicy mayo.
Substitutions and Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success
- You can also use sushi-grade salmon or any other fish
- Swap out any veggies you want. Red bell pepper or water chestnuts would work great.
- Don’t marinate the tuna too long, 5-15 minutes is all you need.
- To save time, use rice from your local Asian restaurant
What to serve with this Poke Bowl Recipe
- In sticking with the Asian theme, these egg rolls would be a perfect pairing to our poke bowl recipe.
- There’s nothing like the combination of a cold salad with a bowl of soup, this Egg Drop Soup is just the thing you need.
- You could skip the rice in these poke bowls, and pair just the tuna and veggies with this easy fried rice.
