Sushi Poke Bowls
I created this recipe for my first ever catering job - a global luxury lifestyle retreat with One and Only Retreats that I was asked to cook dinner for - and it was such a hit that I just have to share it with you all!
You can’t really go wrong with nourish bowls, filled with different veggies in all colours of the rainbow, and packed with flavour. But these poke bowls are extra special…
Let me introduce carrot lox to you. It’s like smoked salmon, but made entirely of PLANTS. In fact, it tastes so much like smoked salmon that the retreat guests kept asking me if I was sure there was no salmon in these bowls…Yep, I’m very sure because I cured the carrots myself. And the result is well worth the effort (mainly, the long waiting time because carrot lox is actually quite easy to make!).
Fresh veggies, protein-packed edamame beans, nutty brown rice, creamy avocado and that delicious smoked carrot lox would already make a pretty fantastic bowl, but that spicy, creamy wasabi mayo just takes this bowl to a whole new level of delicious. Another complete fluke of a recipe (picture me just throwing a bunch of ingredients in my blender), but it works perfectly. In fact, I think it’ll be a new staple dressing of mine!
My favourite part about these bowls is when I get to assemble them and make them look all pretty. Creating pretty bowls and putting care and effort into making our food look appealing to the eye is such a magical way of re-connecting with our food and expressing gratitude to how it made it’s way into our kitchen - from earth to plate. And serving them in beautiful recycled coconut bowls makes them even prettier!! You can find these bowls at coconutbowls.com - my discount code is ‘naturally_nina_’ for 10% off their amazing, ethically-made products!
So I hope you’ll give this recipe a go - I already look forward to seeing your re-creations. Make sure you tag me on Instagram so I can repost them! x
Ingredients:
For the Carrot Lox:
5 medium carrots
500g pack of coarse sea salt
3 tsp liquid smoke
2 tbsp coconut aminos or tamari
For the Wasabi Mayo:
1 cup cashews, soaked
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup water, plus more to thin
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1-2 tbsp wasabi (depending on how spicy you like it!)
1/4-1/2 tsp spirulina, optional
For the bowls:
2 cups brown rice, cooked
1-2 carrots
1/2 cucumber
1/4 head purple cabbage
1 avocado
1/2 cup edamame beans, steamed and peeled
A few handfuls of baby spinach
1 nori sheet
Black sesame seeds, fresh coriander and tamari, to serve
Method:
To make the carrot lox (you’ll have to prepare this 2-3 days in advance!), preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius, and in a large glass baking dish, spread a 1cm thick payer of salt. Place your carrots on top so they aren’t touching, then pour on the salt to completely cover the carrots. Bake in the oven for 90 minutes.
Once the carrots are done, remove from oven and allow to cool. Then tap the salt crust with a spoon to break it open, remove carrots and peel off the skin with a knife as best as you can!
Slice carrots length way, about 3mm thick, then place in a ziplock bag with the liquid smoke, coconut aminos/tamari and 1 tbsp water. Seal the bag and turn it over a few times to make sure all the carrots are well coated in the marinade. Place in fridge to marinade at least 2-3 days.
To make the dressing, add al ingredients to your blender and blend until completely smooth and creamy. You might like to add a touch more water to get it to your desired consistency.
Prepare the veggies by finely shredding cabbage, roughly chopping baby spinach, peeling and spiralling carrots, slicing zucchini and avocado, and slice nori sheets into small squares.
Assemble bowls with brown rice, veggies, edamame, carrot lox, nori and avocado, topped with coriander and black sesame seeds, and drizzled with the wasabi mayo. Serve!
Notes:
Any leftover dressing can be stored in a sealed jar in the fridge. It also makes a perfect salad dressing!
