An Hawaiian Poke Bowl meets an English Autumn

Traditional Hawaiian Ahi Poke recipes call for raw tuna, which, try as I might I’m just not keen on.  But in this poke bowl recipe you could absolutely switch out the tofu for tuna, or salmon.  The recipe is filled with warming spice and rich toasted sesame flavours, and the good old English Autumn’s staple green vegetable Cavolo Nero toasts up as fantastic seaweed substitute.  So sit on the couch, close your eyes and imagine you’re on an Hawaiian beach… See, I bet you’re feeling warm already!

Serves 2 ~ Preparation 10mins ~ Cooking time 30mins

Ingredients:

200g Tofu

5 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil

250g Sushi Rice

6 Cavolo Nero Leaves

2 White onions

1 large red chilli

1 thumb ginger

3 cloves garlic

1 tbsp Tamari Soy Sauce

1 bulb fennel

1/2 Avocado

1 dstsp Agave nectar

Method:

1) Pre-heat the oven to 150C.  Wash the rice in a bowl of water, rinse, drain and repeat 3 times.  Bring 350mls water to the boil in a pan on the hob.  Add the rice.  Simmer with the lid on for 10 minutes.  Turn off the heat and leave to stand, with the lid on, for a further 30 minutes.

2) Finely slice the onions, crush the garlic, and chop the ginger and chilli (leave 4-6 fine slices of chilli to serve at the end) adding them to a food processor along with 4 tbsp sesame oil, agave nectar and 1 tbsp tamari. I use a nutribullet with the small cup attachment, but a pestle and mortar could work well.  Blend to a smooth consistency.

3) Finely slice the cavolo nero leaves, using a really sharp knife or Asian Cook’s Knife.  Place around two leaves worth on a baking tray.  Place the tray in the oven and gently roast for 15 minutes.  Turn the oven off and leave the leaves for a further 10 minutes before removing.

4) Cube the tofu in to approximate 1″ cubes.  Add a tbsp of sesame oil to a pan on the hob, heat and add the tofu, sesame seeds, remaining cavolo nero and a splash of tamari.  Stir fry until the tofu is gently brown on the outside and the cavolo nero is cooked through.  Approx 6-8 minutes.

5) Finely slice the fennel and avocado ready for serving.

6) Give the rice a stir, it should be sticky and cooked through.

7) To serve layer the rice, then stir-fried tofu and cavolo nero, with avocado and fennel on top.  Pour the sauce on and top with crispy cavolo nero from the oven and chilli on top!