Poke Bowl 101: An Introduction to Awesomeness

This post comes from Matt, the Beer Baron.

Depending on where you live, poke bowls could be anything from a curiosity you’ve seen popping up at local restaurants or sushi counters to a mainstay part of your culinary world.

While they are ubiquitous in Hawaii, where the dish originated as a blend of Japanese and Hawaiian culinary traditions, a quick Google search shows a growing number of poke bowl shops in Toronto. Alas, in my hometown of London, Ontario, there isn’t a poke bowl shop to be found -- although I was lucky enough to discover the dish as a special at the best craft beer bar in town.

In Hawaiian, “poke” means “to cut crosswise into pieces” or even just “to cut or to slice”, and that alone should give you a pretty good idea of what the dish is and what you are in store for when preparing it. You can think of it as deconstructed sushi if that helps, but to me, the way a poke bowl eats makes it an even more satisfying meal.

For starters, the bed of rice served as the base of the bowl is warm, which gives the dish a balance of hot and cold that most sushi doesn’t have. From there, every mouthful is a wonderful mixture of salty and sweet, soft and crunchy. So, when I saw the beautiful, little piece of tuna below frozen and vacuum packed at my local Farm Boy, I knew it was time to make my first poke bowl. 

Before I got to work on all the cutting (with my slow and cumbersome but relatively effective knife skills), I got everything I needed together for a group photo:

First up, the marinade, so it can go back into the fridge to marinate the tuna while you do the rice and all your slicing. It was dead simple but very flavourful:


¼ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root

Ginger root is one of my absolute favourite things and something I find more and more pleasing with each passing year. The lesson? Being old kicks ass. The is what is looks like:

And this is what the marinade looks like:

Now, onto the star of the show: the tuna! I am by no means an expert in the kitchen or with a knife, which is why I’m the Beer Baron and not the… Butchering Baron? Anyway, I still have a few tips to share:

1. Put the tuna in the freezer for 15 or 20 minutes. Not enough to freeze it solid, just enough to help it keep its form a little bit better and make your life easier when cutting it.
2. Decide how thick you want to cut the pieces. If you LOVE raw tuna, then go a bit thicker at about ½ an inch (just more than a centimeter too all you hosers) and if you are new to it and want a little bit less of the raw texture or fishy taste, go smaller. 
3. When you are cutting the tuna, pull your knife backwards towards you, starting at the heel of the blade and use the longest, sharpest knife you have. The goal is to try to make the cuts in one slice and avoid a front-and-back sawing motion.

Not all my slices were perfect, but I enjoyed the process and did ok:

Going from the thin slices to the cubes was a little more challenging, as the tuna was getting warmer having been out of the freezer for longer, as I’m so slow, but they were decent:

The tuna goes into the marinade and into the fridge. 

Start your rice cooking while you work on the rest of your cutting / poke-ing. Traditionally, you’d use short-grain sushi rice. But one of the great things about poke bowls is that there is really no right or wrong. It’s not a science like baking. I had long grain rice, so that’s what made it into my bowl.

Dice the mango:

Slice the red onions (or leave them out altogether if they are too strong for you and you aren’t crazy about red onions like I am):

Slice the jalapeno (which provide a nice bit of crunch as well as a little bit of heat):

Chop the green onions:

Slice the avocado: (I got lucky and mine was a perfect ripeness, which is a miracle unto itself. You kind of get used to picking the ever so slightly soft ones with experience, but if you want help, the internet is all about avocados: https://www.californiaavocado.com/blog/how-to-ripen-an-avocado.)

Now, it’s time to assemble your masterpiece. Keep in mind that no poke bowl is perfect for everyone but do your best to make it perfect for you. If you like more or less of any one ingredient, go for it. (Also, I dumbly didn’t include cucumbers in this dish, which would have been perfect. Radishes too, for that matter.) Lay down your bed of warm rice:

Top it with your marinated tuna:

Surround the tuna with the mangos and avocado:

And then add your final garnishes, including a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a little bit of freshly squeezed lime juice. (Don’t use the lime juice in the marinade or earlier in the process. The goal isn’t to cook the tuna with it, just add a nice hit of acid.) 

As the Beer Baron, I was thinking that a session IPA (nothing too crazy to wreck your palate), a fruity sour, or a weissbier with tropical notes would all be nice pairings -- and they certainly would have been. In the end, I chose a Riesling, as they tend to be great with lightly spicy foods and the balance of minerality and fruitiness was a perfect complement to the balance of the poke bowl. However you make your poke bowl and whatever you pair it with, I hope you enjoy it. Cheers!

Shrimp and Mango Salad with Glass Noodles

This was so beautiful to look at, and tasted great too.  I was nice and light, perfect for a hot spring day.  The recipe comes from Epicurious and I only made a few changes.  It's super easy and comes together quickly with just a little chopping.  

Here's what you need:

4 ounces very thin bean thread noodles (also known as cellophane or glass noodles)
1 pound large shrimp
2 large mangoes
3 green onions
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil or cilantro or a combination
1 small red chili pepper
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Easy Pork Chops with Mango Chutney

This is a super quick and easy dinner that tastes delicious and requires barely any ingredients.

I'm not someone who's overly concerned about the number of ingredients in a recipe, but sometimes it's nice to see how just four or five little things can combine to make something spectacular.  

This recipe comes from my own brain.  You'll need:

• pork chops - I like thick cut, bone-in frenched rib chops but any chops work well in this
• curry powder
• an onion
• bottled mango chutney
• salt
• oil

First sprinkle the pork chops with curry powder and salt.

Rub the spice mixture all over the chops.

Heat oil in a pan over high heat and add the pork chops.

Sear each side for about 3 minutes so the outside is browned but they're not cooked through.

Remove the seared chops from the pan and set aside.

Meanwhile, halve and onion and slice into half-moons.  After removing the pork chops, add the onion to the same pan.

Sauté the onion until slightly softened.

Then add about a cup of mango chutney to the pan.  Prepared mango chutney is available in any grocery store. 

Add a bit of water to the pan, stir and bring to a simmer.

Add the seared pork chops to the pan and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes until the chops are cooked through.

Half way through the cooking time, flip the pork chops.

As the chutney simmers it will thicken into a silky sauce. If it gets too thick, add a little more water. 

Once the chops are cooked through, pile basmati rice onto a plate, top with a pork chop and then smother in the onion mango chutney sauce.

Serve with steamed broccoli for a quick and easy warming meal.

Curried Quinoa Mango Salad

This salad has been a staple in our house for years. My husband loves it. We generally have it as a side dish with grilled chicken or pork, but it is excellent as leftovers for lunch the next day. 

I can't believe I haven't written about this salad before!  Quinoa is so good for you.  It is a grain that's full of protein. I also like the nutty flavour and slightly crunchy texture.  It comes in red, white, and rarer varieties like black.  I like to use a combination of the red and white for a nice colour contrast.  I buy it at Bulk Barn but you can get it at any supermarket.  I also like to buy grain and lentil mixes that contain quinoa.  If you're looking for it, it's pronounced KEEN-wah.

This is another big winner from Epicurious.  You'll need 1 cup of quinoa (I was a little short so just made it with 2/3 of a cup and it still worked out fine). Plus white wine vinegar, mango chutney, curry powder, dry mustard, a fresh mango, cucumber and salad greens (spinach, arugula or spring mix is great).

You can rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer.  I sometimes skip this step and don't find it makes much difference.  Add the grains to boiling water and simmer about 12 minutes, then drain and cool.

While the quinoa is cooking, make the dressing.  I like to double the recipe so there's lots of dressing, plus extra for leftovers.  

Take 2 tablespoons mango chutney (chopped up if chunky), 3 teaspoons curry powder and 1/2 a teaspoon dry mustard.

Mix in 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar and 1/2 cup olive or canola oil.  That's it!

Next, chop an English cucumber.

And some green onions.

Then chop the mango.

And add it to the cucumber and onions.

Add the quinoa.

And mix in half the dressing.

And toss to combine.

To serve, pile some salad greens on a plate. This is baby romaine but you can use spinach or any green. 

Top with the quinoa vegetable mixture.

Then drizzle with a little more dressing.

This salad can be a full meal or a hearty side dish. The slightly spicy curry and chutney with the sweet mango and fresh cucumber is a great combination.  Easy, healthy and highly recommended.