Vegan Poke Bowls with Marinated Beets (2024)

5 from 3 reviews

Beets:

• 2 or 3 medium beets (about 300 g)
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) tamari
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) toasted sesame oil (preferably La Tourangelle), plus more for drizzling
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste
• 1/2 teaspoon sriracha

Rice:

• ¾ cup (175 g) sushi rice (I use Kokuho Rose)
• 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) water
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Pickled carrot:

• 2 medium carrots, scrubbed
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) rice vinegar
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Cabbage:

• 2 cups lightly packed shredded red cabbage (150 g)
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) rice vinegar
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

For Serving:

• thinly sliced radish, pink or purple daikon, and/or watermelon radish (use a mandolin if slicing rounds, otherwise halve and slice thinly with cut-side down into half moons)
• 1 large firm-ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced
• 2 scallions, sliced thinly on the diagonal
• togarashi
• toasted nori seaweed snacks

Prepare the beets:

• Place the beets in a small saucepan, cover with an inch or two of water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until the beets are tender enough to be easily pierced with a knife, 25-35 minutes. Drain the beets and cover with cool water, letting them sit until cool enough to handle. Trim and peel the beets and cut them into 1-inch cubes.

• In a medium bowl, stir together the tamari, sesame oil, rice vinegar, wasabi paste, and sriracha to combine. Set aside a few tablespoons of the marinade for serving and to the rest, add the cubed beets. Chill for 30 minutes or up to 1 day, tossing once or twice.

Cook the rice:

• Place the rice in a bowl, cover with cool water, and swish it around to release the starches. Carefully pour off the water, then repeat 2-3 more times. Drain well. Place the rice in a small saucepan and add the water and salt. Place the pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Immediately reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let the rice steam until the water is absorbed, 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand 10 minutes. Test the rice – if it is too firm, sprinkle in a few tablespoons more water and repeat the steaming/standing process until the rice is tender but still chewy. Fluff the rice with a fork and cool to warm or room temperature, 30-60 minutes.

Prepare the cabbage:

• In a medium bowl, toss together the cabbage, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Let sit until wilted, 10 minutes or up to an hour or two.

Pickle the carrot:

• Use a vegetable peeler to peel the carrot into long, wide ribbons. Toss with the vinegar, sugar, and salt. Let sit until wilted, 10-30 minutes.

To serve:

• Divide the rice between two wide, shallow bowls. Top with the marinated beets and their juices. Drain the carrots and cabbage separately and place over the rice. Top with the avocado, sliced radish, and slivered scallion. Drizzle the remaining marinade over the bowls, adding more sesame oil if you like. Sprinkle with togarashi and serve with nori snacks on the side.

Adapted from Bowl + Spoon via Shutterbean.

I used one red and one chiogga beet; you’ll want to cook and marinate them separately to keep their colors distinct.

Serve with plenty of toasted nori seaweed snacks to roll your own tiny hand rolls, or crumble them right into the bowl.

If you’d like more protein in your poke bowl, throw in some cubed tofu or shelled edamame. Feel free to change up the vegetables as you wish; pea sprouts or fava beans in the spring, cucumber in summer, or seared shiitake mushrooms in the fall.

Do Ahead: The beets can be cooked and stored whole, refrigerated airtight, for up to 4 days. The marinade can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 1 week. The carrots, cabbage, and rice are best prepared fresh but can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.

Nutritional values are based on one of two large servings,