Vegan Poke Bowl

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 my version, I like to add sesame seeds to the Inamona as well as toasted sesame oil to the poke.

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 version, 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.

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. 

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.