One place where Mother Raw’s Japanese dressing works a treat is drizzled over a nourishing, refreshing and colorful plant-based poke (poh-keh) bowl! Read on for our tips on crafting the perfect plant-based bowl.
Wait, what’s a Poke Bowl?
The now world-famous poke bowl is a Hawaiian specialty of short-grain/sushi rice and raw fish tossed in a marinade that combines Japanese and Hawaiian flavors.
In her book, The Food of Paradise: Exploring Hawaii's Culinary Heritage, Rachel Laudan, a food historian, says the current version of poke became popular in the 1970s and is still common in the Hawaiian islands. It combines fish served with Hawaiian salt, seaweed, and roasted, ground candlenut ‘meat’.
Now, you can find a whole bunch of variations on the classic, including a fully plant-based version which you know we love!
Tips for a Plant-Based Poke Bowl
We like to use a mix of colors, textures and flavors in our bowl from rice or noodles to vibrant, crisp, crunchy vegetables, with none other than our Mother Raw Japanese dressing, bursting with sesame, garlic and ginger flavours!
The Components
Poke bowls are beautiful when they combine an array of colors, textures and flavors! Assemble your bowl with each ingredient in their place for a beautiful rainbow effect!
The base: Cooked short-grain rice works well, like the classic poke bowl. Feel free to explore other types of rice - red, black and even cauliflower rice.
Protein: Cooked edamame and marinated tofu are our favorite protein additions to a poke bowl. Marinate them in some Mother Raw Japanese dressing for half an hour or more for an added boost of flavor!
Vegetables: Choose a variety of colorful toppings. There are so many options to choose from in thinking about other flavorful things to add to your bowl. Some popular ones commonly added raw to the bowl are avocado, cabbage, carrots, corn, cucumbers and/or radishes.
*Hot tip* If you want to take your bowl to the next level try cutting your vegetables in a few different ways. This will add to the textural contrast in your bowl - you can grate, slice, or dice as you choose.
Some people love sprouts, pickles and even fruit. And to finish, sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds - white, black or both.
Present your bowl by giving each ingredient its place rather than mixing the contents together. Finish with a drizzle (or more!) of Mother Raw Japanese dressing!
Tuck in and enjoy.
References
Laudan, Rachel (1996). The Food of Paradise: Exploring Hawaii's Culinary Heritage. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 37–38. ISBN 9780824817787. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
Image source: Indo Indians
Written by: Ozoz Sokoh