When I was working in restaurants this was one of my favorite “go-to” meals for the staff. Poke bowls are simple to make and everyone is always excited to eat them. This can be served in individual bowls, buffet-style, or set up with all the toppings on the side for people to create their own.
The poke for this dish can be made up to 24 hours ahead and is better if it is made a few hours in advance to allow the fish to marinate. It can be eaten at this point, so you could have a poke salad for lunch and fried poke bowls for dinner. If you prefer, substitute your favorite store-bought poke instead of making it from scratch.
Crispy fried onions are one of my favorite toppings for poke bowls. Instead of frying twice, I mixed the onions into the poke. Toppings for poke bowls can be almost anything: veggies, sprouts, seaweed, seeds, pickles, bonito flakes, and lots of sauce to drizzle on top. I kept the topping very simple for this bowl, but feel free to switch it up with whatever you like. To save a little time, furikake can be substituted for the nori and toasted sesame seeds. Check your labels if you are worried about salt and msg, furikake usually has other seasonings added to the mix
The oil for frying should be fully heated before the poke is mixed with the cornstarch. If it is mixed too early the moisture from the poke will make the cornstarch gummy and the poke will stick together in clumps. This will make for uneven cooking and there may be uncooked clumps of cornstarch in the middle of your poke.
The soy glaze will need to be made in advance so it has a chance to cool and thicken. Refrigerating will speed up this process or glaze can be made days ahead.
I hope your “staff” enjoys these bowls too!
Fried Poke Bowl
Ingredients
Poke
- 12 oz ahi diced into 1/2 inch chunks
- 1/2 small onion
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp shriracha
Sriracha Mayo
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1/2 tsp shriracha
Soy Glaze
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- pinch chili flake
- 1/8 tsp ginger
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Fried Poke Bowl
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 12 oz poke
- 3 cups vegetable oil
- salt
- 1 cup cucumber seeded and diced
- 2 large green onion chopped
- 1 bunch radish sprouts
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 2 sheets nori cut into small pieces
- 3 cups cooked rice
Instructions
Poke
- Combine all ingredients. Chill 2 hours or overnight.
Shriracha Mayo
- Mix ingredients and refrigerate until ready for use.
Soy Glaze
- Mix ingredients in a small pot. bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Cool and store until ready for use
Fried Poke Bowl
- Heat oil in a pan to 375 degrees. When the oil is hot, put half the cornstarch on a sheet pan. Lay poke on top in an even layer and top with remaining cornstarch and mix until all poke is covered. Fry poke in the oil until golden. Drain on paper towels and season with salt.
- Place rice in a large serving bowl. Top with poke, sriracha mayo, soy glaze, cucumber, nori, sesame seeds, and radish sprouts.
Made it for my friend she loved it
Awesome. I am so glad she enjoyed it!