Vegan Poke Bowls w/ Lime Ponzu Sauce

Holy poke, these bowls are good!

I had vegan poke for the first time around a year ago, and after that I understood the sudden craze for poke everywhere around here. I remember thinking that it was like eating a giant deconstructed sushi roll, filled with all these cool toppings you’d normally have in a Japanese salad. The bowl was not cold, nor warm – it was kind of room temp, like sushi, and the rice was really tasty, seasoned with seaweed, and served with tofu and veggies, along with some zesty lime ponzu. I was so pleased with my first poke. It was like love at first bite.

Since then, there have been so many poke restaurants popping up all around Vancouver, and most of them do feature a tofu option aside from the usual raw fish. I was inspired by all of the delicious and fresh toppings, and had to go home to try making my own. I made vegan poke for the first time with my sister, who prepared the bowls with soba noodles instead of the traditional sushi rice. I actually prefer to eat them without rice because the buckwheat noodles just taste lighter and healthier, plus they’re way quicker and easier to make!

I’ve made my own poke bowls three times now, and each time I wonder why I don’t make these more often. They are so incredibly easy to prepare, since all you need is some fresh veg, tofu, and rice or noodles. You don’t even have to cook the veggies, so it’s quick to make, and very healthy since it’s mostly raw vegan. It’s also fun to get creative with your bowls and add in your favourite veggies, experimenting with different flavours like adding pineapple or baby corn, with seaweed (wakame salad) or nori strips. I love how the different flavours of the bowl intermingle with the lime ponzu sauce in this recipe. This dish is great for meal prep and keeps for a 3-5 days since it’s mainly just fresh veg in the fridge. Plus it just looks beautiful, doesn’t it? Enjoy! 🙂

Vegan Poke Bowls w/ Lime Ponzu Sauce

Print This

Serves: 3-4 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

For the Poke Bowl
4 organic carrots, grated
1/2 package of frozen edamame beans, cooked
1 package of soba noodles
1 cucumber, diced
1 can baby corn, rinsed and drained
2-3 radishes, sliced
1 avocado, sliced
1 package of smoked tofu, cubed
1-3 sprigs of green onion, chopped
1 package of fresh wakame salad or nori strips (optional but gives it that fishy flavour)
Sesame seeds (optional)

Lime Ponzu Sauce
1 lime, squeezed
2 tbsp. soy sauce/liquid aminos
2 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated/diced thinly (optional)
* this is just how I make my sauce, but you can always add more soy sauce or whichever ingredient you like for the flavour you prefer (more nutty = sesame oil, more lime, etc.)

 

Vegan Poke Bowls w/ Lime Ponzu Sauce was last modified: June 15th, 2018 by themindfulstrawberry

Instructions

1. Pan fry the smoked tofu cubes in a little sesame oil for a few minutes. This is an optional step but I like to get them slightly brown on all sides. Set aside in a bowl to cool.
2. Chop all fresh veggies and put in separate bowls, organized by ingredient. 
3. Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add in soba noodles and simmer on low heat for 4-5 minutes until cooked. Remove from water and drain, mixing it with cold water before draining completely. Set aside in separate bowl. 
4. Prepare the ponzu sauce by whisking all ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste the final product to make sure you like it before placing all over your bowl. Sometimes I like to add a little bit of the sauce to the noodles first to get some flavour in them. 
5. Get a bowl and fill it with noodles first, then your veggies, plus tofu.
6. Drizzle your ponzu sauce on veggies and tofu, then top with green onions and sesame seeds. 
7. Enjoy! 

Vegan Poke Bowls w/ Lime Ponzu Sauce was last modified: June 15th, 2018 by themindfulstrawberry