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Home ► Recipes ► American

Vegan Poke Bowl

Updated: 05.21.24 | Marc Matsumoto | 2 Comments

5 from 3 votes
This Vegan Poke recipe recreates all of the tastes and textures of the tuna-based original using carrots cooked in konbu dashi stock until they're the texture of Ahi. Tossed with sweet onions and seaweed and seasoned with sesame oil and Inamona, this new take on the Hawaiian classic is both flavorful and satisfying.
Recipe Video
A delicious Hawaiian Poke made with velvety carrots cooked in kelp-based dashi stock, with sweet onions, limu, and inamona.
How do you make an authentic Hawaiian Poke?

A traditional Hawaiian Poke is made using Ahi Tuna, sweet onions, and limu (seaweed). It's seasoned with a condiment called Inamona, which is made by roasting chopped candlenuts (Kukui) with salt. For this vegan poke bowl, as well as my tuna version, I like to add sesame seeds to the Inamona, as well as toasted sesame oil to the "tuna" to add richness and depth of flavor.

How do you make Vegan tuna?

I've seen a lot of attempts at making plant-based ahi poke bowls using everything from beets to tofu to watermelon. While some of these ingredients may look a bit like tuna, none of them convincingly recreate the velvety texture and briny taste of the original. 

For my vegan poke bowl, I cook cubed carrots in dashi stock made from kelp, sake, and soy. The kelp and sake add loads of umami, while the soy sauce not only seasons the carrots, it gives the carrots a reddish hue. To get the right texture, I cook the carrots until you can pass a toothpick through them, but they still give a little resistance. 

I'd be lying to you if I said my version was exactly like tuna, but the cooked carrots take on a similar texture, and the savory konbu dashi they are cooked in infuses loads of briny umami, which makes this poke satisfyingly flavorful. Speaking of vegan tuna, I also have a great plant-based Tunafish Sandwich recipe.Vegan-friendly poke made from tender carrots, sweet onions, limu and inamona.

What can I do with the leftover broth?

The konbu broth the carrots are cooked in is extremely flavorful and can be diluted and used as a soup for udon or soba noodles, and it's also great for cooking rice in. 

How do I make a vegan poke bowl with this?

This plant-based poke can easily be turned into a poke bowl by serving it on top of your favorite grain, seed, or rice along with some edamame, and avocado. You can also add other veggies, like a red cabbage slaw or sliced radishes for a pop of color. This vegan-friendly Hawaiian Poke has all the flavors and textures of the original without any of the guilt.

📖 Recipe

Vegan-friendly poke made from tender carrots, sweet onions, limu and inamona.

Vegan Poke Bowl

By: Marc Matsumoto
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 25 minutes mins
Yield 2 servings
YouTube video

Units

Ingredients 

  • 7 grams konbu
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 grams dried seaweed
  • 420 grams carrots (peeled and chopped into ½-inch cubes)
  • ¼ cup sake
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 25 grams candlenuts (roughly chopped)
  • 5 grams toasted sesame seeds (~2 teaspoons)
  • 4 grams Alaea salt (~½ teaspoon)
  • 40 grams sweet onion (~⅛ onion)
  • 1 scallion (greens finely chopped)

Instructions

  • Add the konbu and water to a pot and let this rehydrate for about 30 minutes.
    Soaking konbu in water to make dashi broth for poke.
  • If you're using dried seaweed, rehydrate it in cold water. If you're using salted seaweed, remove the salt in a couple changes of cold water.
    Rehydrating seaweed(limu) for poke.
  • Add the carrots to the pot of water with the konbu along with the sake and soy sauce. Bring the water to a boil and then turn down the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
    Simmering plant-based "ahi tuna" in konbu dashi.
  • After about 10 minutes, remove the konbu.
    Removing konbu from broth with chopsticks.
  • Cook the carrots until they are soft enough for a toothpick to pass through, but still a little firm (about another 10 minutes).
    Poking carrot with toothpick to test for doneness.
  • Let the carrots cool in the broth to room temperature.
  • While the carrots are cooling, make the Inamona by adding the chopped candlenuts and sesame seeds to a pan and toast them until they are golden brown. Be sure to toss them around regularly so that they brown evenly.
    Roasting Inamona in frying pan.
  • When the candlenuts are golden brown and fragrant, add the Alaea salt and toss to distribute evenly. Transfer the Inamona to a heatproof bowl to cool.
    Candlenuts, sesame seeds, and Alaea salt dry roasting in pan for poke.
  • When the carrots have cooled to room temperature, transfer them to a bowl using a slotted spoon.
    "Ahi Tuna" made from carrots.
  • Add the sesame oil, onions, seaweed, and about half of the Inamona (being sure to get an even mix of salt and nuts) and stir the poke to combine.
    Vegan Ahi Poke in glass bowl.
  • Plate the poke and garnish with more Inamona and the chopped scallion greens.
    Vegan Poke being garnished with scallions and inamona.
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Nutrition Facts

Calories • 283kcalCarbohydrates • 26gProtein • 6gFat • 15gSaturated Fat • 1gSodium • 1954mgPotassium • 843mgFiber • 7gSugar • 11gVitamin A • 35142IUVitamin C • 14mgCalcium • 125mgIron • 2mg

Comments

    5 from 3 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Earl Gray says

    July 25, 2020 at 2:12 am

    5 stars
    Delicious! And I'm an omnivore. Great with some sushi rice and avocado.

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      July 25, 2020 at 12:04 pm

      I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it!

      Reply
Marc Matsumoto

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