Poke seems to be everywhere these days, from fine restaurant menus, to fast-casual and even food trucks. Chefs are coming up with clever combos and creative reinterpretations – even fish-free versions for the veg set. I knew had to take a stab at it. Or at least a poke. Sorry.
For those of you hearing about poke for the first time, this fresh and tasty dish (pronounced POH-kay), hails from Hawaii. In its most unadulterated form, poke is raw fish, originally combined with sea salt, candlenut and seaweed. It evolved over the years as ingredient availability increased, and the salt was replaced with soy sauce, the seaweed with spring onion, the candlenut with sesame and so on. Once it hit mainland America a few years ago, poke mania ensued and the dish evolved to become more of a meal – not just a snack. Now it is often served atop rice and garnished with all manner of innovative ingredients. Fully-focused poke restaurants have established themselves in major cities across North America. Many of these eateries allow their patrons to customize their bowls with veggies, sea weed, pickles, beans, nuts, and alt-grains, tapping into the to the fact that fast, fresh, healthy meals are becoming mainstream. Which totally rocks.
I had most of the elements for my own poke-inspired version in my head…except for the fish (the most important part?). I racked my brain to come up with something that looked just like tuna or salmon, but didn’t want to use fruit, like watermelon or papaya, since I didn’t want the dish to be sweet. It wasn’t until I was trying to fall asleep one night, that it came to me…chiogga beets! Chiogga, or candy-striped beets are gorgeously two-toned when they are raw. Sliced thin horizontally, they reveal rings of deep pink pigment and creamy white, resembling something that your grandmother keeps on her coffee table in a crystal dish. But for anyone who has ever roasted these stunning creatures will know that the magic doesn’t last; the magenta bleeds into the white during cooking, resulting in an almost homogenous pale pink, with slight variegation. WHICH LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE TUNA. I almost couldn’t sleep. Too excited.
The next day I gathered up all the things I’d like in a poke bowl: short grain brown rice (not long grain – an important distinction), spring onion for bite, carrot for crunch, edamame for pop and protein, and avo for creaminess. I took this last one a step farther and blended it with lemon and wasabi for the most boss sauce ever. This alone would be delish on most things…please try it. And for the fishy component, I thought back to the raw vegan “tuna” I made for my first cookbook, and how effective adding a sprinkle of nori was to boost that fresh-from-the-sea flavour. This is not a deal breaker for the overall dish, but it definitely made it taste complete. If you can’t find nori flakes, just crunch up a couple sheets of the stuff that you’d use to make sushi. Easy fix!
I like to use wasabi powder in the avo cream since the pre-made stuff in a tube is questionable. Have you ever read the ingredient list on one of those packages? It can be scary stuff. In a pinch, use it, but tracking down the powder is worth it from a nutrition standpoint, and also a flavour one. The real stuff tastes infinitely better! What a shocker.
Wasabi is Japanese horseradish, and like its western counterpart, it belongs to the Brassica family, like cabbage, broccoli and mustard. The root is dried and then pulverized, which gives us the powder that we can blend with water to create wasabi paste. It is a difficult crop to grow, which explains the high price for the genuine product. Most wasabi powders don’t contain any wasabi at all, but are instead a mix of mustard powder and regular horseradish mixed with green food dye. A high-quality wasabi powder should be organic and contain only horseradish and wasabi. The colour should be pale green – not disco neon. Most health food stores carry wasabi powder. This is a good brand.
Everything unfolded just as I’d hoped it would. The beets came out perfectly pink with those thin white stripes that look just like fat striation. The marinade that I tossed them around in was acidic and ginger-y and just plain yum. Building the meal up with the rice, the beans, the veggies, a dollop of cream, a sprinkle of nori and roasted sesame, was ever so satisfying and fun. This healthy, fresh meal is calling you. No need to poke about, just make it. Again, sorry.
Poke-Inspired Beet Bowl
Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
1 cup / 200g short grain brown rice, soaked overnight if possible
¾ tsp. fine sea salt
2 cups / 250g edamame beans, fresh or frozen
2 tsp. cold-pressed olive oil
a couple pinches flaky sea salt
Beets & Marinade
3 medium Chiogga (candy striped) beets
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. finely grated ginger
pinch fine sea salt
Avocado Wasabi Cream
2 medium ripe avocados
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1-2 tsp. wasabi powder, to taste
pinch fine sea, to taste
2 spring onions, sliced lengthwise into ribbons
2 medium carrots, julienned
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
3 Tbsp. nori flakes
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F / 200°C. Wrap beets in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet in the oven. Roast until tender, about 45 minutes (to check doneness, peel back the foil of one beet and insert the tip of a sharp knife. If there is little resistance, it’s ready). Peel back foil from each beet and let cool slightly.
2. While the beets are roasting, make the rice. Drain and rinse well. Place in a pot with 2 cups / 500ml of fresh water and salt. Cover, bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Cook until tender (add more during cooking if necessary), about 45 minutes.
3. While the rice is cooking, make the Avocado Wasabi Cream. Scoop out the flesh from both avocados and add to a food processor. Blend on high, then add the lemon juice, wasabi powder and salt. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, ginger and salt. Slip the skins off the cooled beets. Cut the beets into cubes and toss in the marinade. Let sit for at least 20 minutes.
5. While the beets are marinating, bring a medium pot of water to the boil. Add a few pinches of salt and the edamame. Simmer for a couple minutes until bright green and tender (do not overcook!). Drain and rinse under cold water to halt cooking. Toss with a little olive oil and sprinkle with flaky salt.
6. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast sesame seeds, stirring often until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
7. Julienne the carrots.
8. To assemble, divide the rice among the bowls. Add the marinated beets, edamame, carrots and a dollop of Avocado Wasabi Cream. Sprinkle with nori flakes, the toasted sesame seeds and top with the spring onions. Enjoy!
I’m on my last few days of I just ended the North American cookbook tour. Honestly, it’s been just magical and I am so grateful to all of you who came out to show some love and connect with the healthy community around them!
All love and smiles,
Sarah B
Show me your bowls on Instagram! #mnrpokebowl
The Poke-Inspired Beet Bowl recipe by My New Roots is a creative and plant-based take on the popular poke bowl trend. Instead of using fish, this recipe uses chiogga beets that resemble tuna in appearance. The beets are marinated in a flavorful mixture of lemon juice, olive oil, ginger, and salt. The bowl is then assembled with short grain brown rice, edamame beans, julienned carrots, spring onions, sesame seeds, nori flakes, and a creamy avocado wasabi sauce. The combination of colors and flavors in this dish is both beautiful and delicious. It’s a great option for those looking for a healthy and satisfying meal. by Rahasia umpan ikan mas babon
I’m thinking about making it this weekend for my weekday lunches. Have you tried storing the avocado cream? Did it turn brown? (seems like it would.) Perhaps I’ll make one avocado’s worth at a time.
Hi Dinas! I haven’t tried storing it but do think it would brown quickly. Let me know if you do try it!
the food color combination is really good. make me want it more. I think i want to grab all of it. it seem delicious and tasty. love it
This was absolutely delicious- everyone loved it! Thank you for sharing this! P.S. I used golden beets (all I could find) and minced the ginger instead (just easier) and the entire dish still came together beautifully.
Lots of fruit, I love it and wanna test it.. 😛
its great references to break fasting for moslem like me, thanks a lot
I can’t get over how much those beets look like fresh tuna! And that sauce, yum! Trying this as soon as possible, thanks Sarah! I hope you’re having the best time on your book tour!
I’m not a fan of beets but this recipe may force me to try them again. Gorgeous!
Hi Adam,
I think you’ll really love the beets – the marinade that they’re in is so ginger-y and flavourful, that you won’t get that earthiness that some people don’t appreciate 🙂 I hope you enjoy!
All the best,
Sarah B
I make a tomato “tuna” buy removing the skin, cut into square pieces and make a marinade with tamari, sesame il and kelp powder. Now the beets are genius and will try it with my marinade. Also, avo/wasabi cream? YUM!!! Thanks for the inspo 🙂
Hey Cecile,
So cool! I’ve actually seen that done before at a vegan sushi restaurant. It was SO similar in appearance that I was totally fooled. Now that you’ve given me more recipe info, I’ll try it myself 🙂
I hope you enjoy the avo cream…it’s delicious all on its own!
xo, Sarah B
nice… i love that combination of colours…thans for sharing..
I thought I saw tuna or sushi in the first pic. Thank you for the recipe! Gonna try it sometime soon.
nice looks so delicious
exactly like tuna! How could you not get excited ? Now am excited to give this a try.
it look delicious. great recipes. may i will try to make it 🙂
I first thought that this was about tuna when I looked at the picture. I had to look at it twice before I confirmed to my own self that it was beetroot. Well done. I must try this. thanks
I thought I saw tuna or sushi in the first pic. Thank you for the recipe! Gonna try it sometime soon.
I first thought that this was about tuna when I looked at the picture. I had to look at it twice before I confirmed to my own self that it was beetroot. Well done. I must try this. thanks
its great references to break fasting for moslem like me, thanks a lot
I loved this healthy recipe. And also loved the name Beet Bowl. Thanks for sharing these kind and wish you come back with another one with more versatile.
its great references to break fasting for moslem like me, thanks a lot
Oh wow!!!
Never could be better than this. Just awesome. If you ever tell me, i would reply “FANTASTICALLY BEAUTIFUL”. This is the word i could find for you and about this recipe!
look delicious, I want to try it at home
My friend introduced me to beet and right now I am looking for recipes about beet. And oh, the photos look so amazing, colorful and yummy. I can’t wait to make this and share this to my friends.
Haha, when I saw the poke bowl I thought it was real tuna…
Holy smokes, I was so suspicious that those beet chunks were ahi tuna! Now I really have to try those out! You’ve done an amazing job at concocting such a gorgeous recipe that replicates the real deal!
I cooked this dish yesterday and I am in love with it. I can’t wait to cook this for my family now. Much thanks for sharing this recipe.
I’m not a fan of beets but this recipe may force me to try them again. Gorgeous!
Made it for this week’s meals! Yummy and looks beautiful! The best thing I’ve eaten for a long time! Thank you Sarah! You’re amazing!
I love Beets!! My husband and his dad think I’m strange. I’ve also never heard of poke before. This looks so good I can’t wait to try it. I now have poke on my radar.
Very nice post!!! I really liked this great recipe!! What a wonderful combination!!!
So cool! Love that you MacGyvered vegetarian tuna – it looks absolutely delicious.
Thanks for sharing that nori sheet trick 🙂
Oh this looks amazing! 😀 I’ll make sure to try it as soon as possible!
When I made my vegetarian poke bowl last week (http://mirjamtherese.blogg.se/2017/march/tasting-the-trend-vegetarian-poke-bowl.html) I used beets as well, but beet roots, and it was really good :))
I also tried poke with a little variation in the ingredients. I ordered it in a local restau here in California and I requested mine to be Vegan (no fish, yes!; sorry devoted vegan here). It has kales, avocados, some cashews, and seaweeds. It was fab! The chewy taste of seaweed with cashew nuts are amazing! I tried to offer my friend a spoonful of it but she refused since it has seaweed on it. For me, it was really good but well, not everybody can appreciate it.
Thanks for sharing your recipe by the way, I might try making this one for some family gathering.
I first thought that this was about tuna when I looked at the picture. I had to look at it twice before I confirmed to my own self that it was beetroot. Well done. I must try this.
GENIUS! I’ve seen the watermelon poke and always thought it was an interesting and good substitute, but I love that your recipe is using a vegetable. It looks perfect!
Hi,
Great Blog and Great Recipe. Loved it. Any way i am going to try this in my restaurant. Thank You for sharing this with us..
Thank you for this recipe !! I loved your blog !!
Wonderful. Thank you.
Sarah, how about some yuzu? I feel like a strong citrus flavour would work well here. Sure, the beets beets are tossed with lemon juice. It. could be interesting to experiment with other citrus options.
I can’t believe this looks like poke from Hawaii! I’m going to try it this weekend. Wasabi…yum. Great to meet you finally Sarah! It’s Kathleen from LA!
A beautiful dish! I can’t believe how much the beets look like fresh tuna-brilliant!
Oh wow, this looks so good! Need to make this week! Thank you!
It looks amazing! Bet it taste delicious! Love the recipe!
Ha! Where I come from, “poke” is short for pokeweed, which has beautiful deep purple berries that are extremely toxic, as every child learns at a young age. So my first thought was “How strange to make a bowl inspired by those toxic berries–but okay!”
Whoa, those beets seriously look like fish! You are such a genius and the colors here are gorgeous 🙂 Pinning!
I can’t get over how much those beets look like fresh tuna! And that sauce, yum! Trying this as soon as possible, thanks Sarah! I hope you’re having the best time on your book tour!
Poke is on my list now 🙂 To cook with. I know it, but I just didn’t think of using it at home. The bowl looks delicious, so I am ready to experiment.
Sarah, you are so brilliant! After coming back from Hawaii last year I’ve been obsessed with Poke, however the environmentalist in me shuddered. Now I have the best substitute! Can’t wait to try 🙂
This looks delicious…and beautiful! I’m thinking about making it this weekend for my weekday lunches. Have you tried storing the avocado cream? Did it turn brown? (seems like it would.) Perhaps I’ll make one avocado’s worth at a time.
This is just so so creative. Striped beetroots does look exactly like tuna! How could you not get excited 😀 Now am excited to give this a try.
Oh. my. god. You are a GENIUS! It’s a shame I already did all of my grocery shopping for the coming week – I need to make this ASAP!
This poke beet bowl is WILD!! I can’t get over how much the beets look like tuna… I actually first saw your post on Facebook and thought MNR went pescetarian! But this is a much better way 😉
This looks so good – I love all the colours!
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