Impress your friends and family with this easy and delicious rainbow poke bowl. The marinated tofu poke makes for an easy-to-find protein base, served in a bowl of hearty brown rice, colorful vegetables, and either a creamy mayo or a light soy-based dressing.
In this post you’ll learn:
- Why you will love this recipe
- What is rainbow poke bowl
- Whether poke bowl is Hawaiian or Japanese
- What is Hawaiian Poke
- Ingredients
- Substitute for a lighter dressing
- Instructions
- Toppings substitutions
- Meal prep and storage instructions
- FAQ
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy: Ready in just 30 minutes, this will be your next favorite weekday meal.
- Full of flavor: The marinated tofu is packed with umami and the creamy mayo rounds off this recipe, making it even better than the one you order at a restaurant!
- Perfect for meal prep: The marinated tofu absorbs more flavor the longer they sit and it’s easy to cut and prepare the toppings ahead. Plus, if you bring this for lunch, your friends will be drooling looking at this rainbow poke bowl!
What is a rainbow poke bowl?
A rainbow poke bowl just means a poke bowl that has colorful vegetables and toppings in them. Think of fresh, vibrant vegetables like radish, purple cabbage, cucumber, avocado, and mango. The wide variety of colors not only makes your bowl look pretty and therefore appetizing, but it’s also good for your health!
Each color represents different sets of nutrients present in that vegetable. So the more color you have in your bowl, the greater the variety of nutrients that you get! In fact, a recent study done by researchers at the American Gut Project encourages people to get at least 30 different plant varieties every week. Seems like a lot, but in this recipe, you’re already getting 10 of them!
Is Poke Bowl Really Healthy?
Of course, this depends on what you put into your poke bowls. But if you make this Rainbow Poke Bowl recipe, you’re definitely getting a great variety of nutrients due to the various vegetables present! Plus, this plant-based recipe ensures that you’re getting all your fiber and a wide variety of nutrients since each color of vegetable represents different sets of nutrients!
And oh, speaking of dressing, my Homemade Oil-free Mayonnaise is also way healthier than the traditional mayonnaise too so you can eat them guilt-free! 😉
Are poke bowls Hawaiian or Japanese?
I have to admit that for the past 22 years, I had assumed that poke bowl is Japanese. Besides, isn’t a poke bowl just a deconstructed sushi? But nope, poke bowls are not Japanese. The influx of Japanese migrants to Hawaii influenced the creation of this dish, but poke bowls originated in Hawaii.
What is Hawaiian Poke?
The classic Hawaiian poke is made up of cubes of raw fish served over rice. In the cookbook Aloha Kitchen, it’s explained that the most common fish used is yellowfin tuna (called “ahi”) but the most important thing is that you want the freshest fish. So whether you are using tuna or salmon, you want them to be sushi grade.
With a plant-based twist in this recipe, we substitute the salmon or tuna poke with tofu poke. Tofu is much easier to find and cheaper than sushi-grade fish. And it’s also vegan!
Ingredients
- Marinated tofu: Our protein base for this recipe. Say goodbye to going to multiple grocery stores just to find one that sells sushi-grade fish. Tofu is so easy to find and this version is as good as the original one!
- Brown rice: Packed with fiber and complex carbs, rest assured that this recipe does not only taste good but is also good for your body. Feel free to sub with quinoa or your favorite whole grain.
- Speaking of brown, you might want to check out my list of 35 Brown Vegetables (+ Photos) which also includes fun facts and how to cook these brown veggies! 🤎
- Radish: For some nice crunch and pretty pink goodness.
- Speaking of pink, check out my list of 25 Pretty Pink Vegetables (including Photos!) if you’re interested 💗
- Mango: Adds some sweetness and a tropical punch to this recipe.
- Edamame: Packs even more protein and also loads of fiber, the edamame also adds some Japanese twist to this recipe
- Avocado: Because who does not love avo?
- Cucumber: Adds a bit of crunch and they’re refreshing.
- Purple or red cabbage: For more crunch and all the cancer-fighting benefits (link) from our cruciferous veggies.
And for the spicy mayo dressing:
- Mayonnaise: For that creamy goodness. Make a homemade one using this oil-free mayo recipe, or use a store-bought one. P.S. You can also pair it with my 3-Minute Gochujang Aioli, my 5-Minute Kimchi Aioli, or my 5-Minute Tandoori Mayonnaise recipe! 😉
- Sriracha: Adding that heat to your dressing! Feel free to sub this with sambal oelek, cayenne, or chili powder.
I’m feeling like having a lighter dressing. Do you have a substitute for the sauce?
Yes! You can skip the spicy mayo dressing altogether and double up on the tofu marinade to use it as a dressing. Fuss-free, this light soy-based dressing is just as tasty as the mayo one.
Step-by-step Instructions
Marinade your tofu. This is as easy as cutting your tofu into blocks and leaving them to sit in the marinade. No tofu pressing is required and you can marinate it for as little as 15 minutes. The full recipe can be found in this 5-Minute Marinated Tofu post.
Cut and prepare ingredients. This is the most time-consuming part of the recipe. So once this is done, know that your poke bowl will be ready in no time!
Assemble! Put all the ingredients in a bowl and you’re ready to go!
Topping Substitutions
Some substitutions if you want to keep all the 7 colors of the rainbow on your plate
- Red: red bell peppers, beets
- Orange: carrots
- Yellow: corn, yellow bell peppers
- Green: microgreens, wakame
- I also like mixing some lettuce greens with brown rice for a lighter base!
- Blue: The color blue is actually very rare in nature and therefore I have not included a blue vegetable in this recipe. But if you really want to make this poke bowl to contain all the colors, some options are blue corn, blue carrots, or eggplants.
- Purple/pink: purple carrots, watermelon radish
Storage and Meal Prep Instruction
Storage: Store your leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
Meal prep: This is the perfect recipe for meal prepping. The marinated tofu absorbs more flavor the longer they sit and it’s easy to cut and prepare the toppings ahead. Keep the sauce separate when meal prepping to avoid the vegetables getting soggy.
FAQ
Both are good. I usually just buy frozen edamame since they are cheaper and last longer. To thaw, you can move the frozen edamame from the freezer to the fridge at least 8 hours before (I like to do it the night before). Or for a quicker solution, microwave them for 1 minute.
I get you. I understand the struggle of having mayonnaise sitting in your fridge for months. So yes! You can skip the spicy mayo dressing altogether and double up on the tofu marinade to use it as a dressing.
Definitely feel free to substitute the brown rice with sushi rice if that’s what you feel like having! I like using brown rice in my recipes since they have more fiber, protein, and other nutrients but it is definitely substitutable with sushi rice.
Want More Recipes Like This?
I often say poké bowls are deconstructed sushi so if you would like to make sushi instead, check out this Kimchi Sushi or this Shiitake Roll recipe. Prefer something more authentic? Check out this Kappa Maki (cucumber roll), Natto Rolls (Japanese fermented soybeans roll), or Umeshiso Maki (Japanese pickled plum and shiso leaves roll).
And if you love rice as much as I (and all Indonesians) do, I recommend checking this Authentic Vegan Rendang recipe (Indonesian curry-like dish traditionally made with beef, recipe from my mum). Or maybe try this Sticky Tempeh recipe if you’re a fan of tempeh!
Rainbow Poke Bowl
Ingredients
Marinated Tofu:
- 1 block tofu 14-16 oz (400-450 grams), firm or extra firm, cubed into 1 inch (2.5 cm) on each side
- 5 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1.5 Tablespoons ginger (grated, about 2.5 cm or 1 inch when whole)
- ¾ teaspoon sambal oelek (optional but recommended) or sub with sriracha, cayenne pepper powder, or chili powder
Poke Bowl:
- 1 cup brown rice; 190 g uncooked or sub with quinoa or your favorite rice
- 4-6 radish thinly sliced
- ½ small mango
- ½ cup edamame (80 grams)
- 1 avocado
- 1 cucumber (medium, about 20 cm)
- 1 cup purple cabbage (shredded)
Dressing:
Option 1 – Spicy Mayo, recommended
- ¼ cup vegan mayo homemade (see recipe notes for full recipe) or store-bought
- 1 Tablespoon sriracha or sambal oelek or sub with 1 tsp cayenne or chilli powder (adjust for your preferred spiciness level)
Option 2 – Spicy Soy, less effort but still delicious
- Essentially the same as your tofu marinade, but without the tofu 😉
- 5 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1.5 Tablespoons ginger (grated, about 2.5 cm or 1 inch when whole)
- ¾ teaspoon sambal oelek (optional but recommended) or sub with sriracha, cayenne pepper powder, or chili powder
Garnish:
- 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 Tablespoons nori sheets (optional) (shredded to small pieces)
Instructions
- Cook the rice: Cook the rice according to package instruction. If the package instruction is missing, here is the general instruction for cooking brown rice. Add 1 cup of uncooked rice and 2 cups of water to a pot, then bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until all the water is absorbed and the rice is fluffy. Afterward, turn off the heat and cover the pot to let it steam for 10 more minutes.
- Marinade: In a shallow container, mix all the ingredients for the marinade together. Add the cubed tofu and stir so that each tofu cube can absorb the marinade. Set aside for at least 15 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Cut: Cut the radish, cucumber, purple cabbage, and avocado into thin slices. Cube the mango.
- Dressing: Make your choice of dressing by whisking all the ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Assemble: Your rice should be cooked by now. Assemble your poke bowl by layering the rice first as the base. Then top with all the prepared vegetables and the tofu marinade, followed by the dressing.
- Serve: Garnish with sesame seeds and nori flakes if using. Enjoy your poke bowl!
Video
Notes
- Use firm or extra-firm tofu for your tofu poke. You don’t want your tofu to break apart too easily in this recipe.
- You can use both fresh and frozen edamame. If they are frozen, first thaw them by leaving them in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or by microwaving them for 30 seconds.
- Feel free to substitute the vegetables with what you currently have. Some options include bell peppers, carrots, salad greens, and corn. For more ideas, see the post above.
- Choose the spicy mayo dressing if you want a creamier dressing. For a lighter version, go with the soy-based one.
- This is the perfect recipe for meal prepping. The marinated tofu absorbs more flavor the longer they sit and it’s easy to cut and prepare the toppings ahead. Keep the sauce separate when meal prepping to avoid the vegetables getting soggy.
- Store in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
- The calorie information is calculated based on the spicy mayo dressing, using my homemade tofu mayonnaise.
April 23, 2023 at 8:40 pmPrettiest recipe ever! I love making poke bowls now thanks to this recipe! The spicy soy sauce works great without me having to spend additional time 🙂
May 16, 2023 at 8:49 pmLove this one for lunch. You don’t even need to reheat, which is perfect since I don’t have easy access to microwave in the office.
June 26, 2023 at 4:47 pmSimple but delicious, thank you Jem!