DIY Poke Bowls

Do you remember going to "make your own Sundae" parties as a kid? Do you enjoy the satisfaction of building a burrito at your favorite fast casual Mexican restaurant? Did you recently Post Mates a generous platter of sushi for girls night in or date night, even though it was just going to serve like 2 people? If you answered yes to any of those questions, drop what you are doing and make these poke bowls. You won't regret it. 

This Hawaiian delicacy is a bowl of rice, topped with raw sushi-grade fish, mixed veggies and topped with a sauce (sometimes a soy sauce/miso base).  Our favorite toppings include cucumber, avocado, mango, edamame, sesame seeds, seaweed salad and pickled ginger. Poke shops are popping up all over the place. On many occasion, Dan and I made road trips to New York City in order to experience the Chipotle of sushi. Every time we are in Philadelphia, we stop at poke place where we have become regulars. At these stores, you pick a package that either comes with 2 or 3 proteins, a base (like sushi rice or mixed greens) and you get a certain limit of toppings to accompany your fish.  While we LOVE visiting our favorite poke eateries, we have found more satisfaction in making our own for a few reasons. 

1) We get to support a local business that sells sushi grade fish. We are fortunate enough to have a Japanese grocery store in our neighborhood, but you could also buy sashimi directly from your favorite sushi restaurant 

2) Poke night has become an event in our apartment. We invite friends over to make bowls with us. They each bring toppings to add to our collection and we enjoy seeing how everyone creates unique bowls with the same ingredients (some bowls are Instagram-ready and some are..... well.... Dan's) 

Dan's Poke Bowls look like he just can't wait to eat them! 

3) Unlimited toppings!!! If you make the bowl yourself, there are no rules. You want to add avocado, it's not extra!

Base + Toppings + Sauce all lined up and ready

Hopefully we have convinced you that this will become your new favorite meal. Here's how to make your next Poke night a success:

Protein:

• Sushi grade fish, chopped into cubes. Our favorites are salmon, tuna and yellowtail

Base:

• Sticky sushi rice; or
• Mixed salad greens; or
• Zoodles

Toppings and mix-in suggestions:

• Cucumber, sliced or cubed
• Edamame
• Seaweed salad
• Avocado slices 
• Mango, cubed
• Pickled Ginger
• Sesame seeds, or these Coconut Sesame Clusters
• Everything but the Bagel seasoning 
• Green onion, sliced
• Coconut flakes 

Sauces:

• Ginger wasabi sauce:
  • 1/4 cup of soy sauce or coconut aminos
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil 
  • 1 tsp minced ginger or ginger paste
  • 1/2 tsp wasabi powder 
  • green onion to top
• Spicy Mayo 
  • 1/4 cup avocado mayo
  • Juice of half a lemon 
  • 1 tbsp of Siracha (add more if you like it really spicy) 

Now you have all you need for a Poke party. Start by placing your base at the bottom of your bowl, pile on the protein, get creative with your toppings, drizzle on that sauce and pull out the chopsticks because it is time to revel in the deliciousness of your poke bowl.

Do you enjoy Poke? What toppings would you add to this delicious dinner?