Chickpea 'Tuna' Poke Bowls (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Look through pinterest sometime and you might see hundreds of Poke bowl recipes. They’re bright, fresh and multicoloured so perfect for pictures but what they also tend to be is non-vegan. Poke actually refers to the fish component, diced raw tuna. Originating in Hawaii, the bowl is built around the best fresh fish and surrounded by sushi components like rice, seaweed, edamame and others. I’ve seen some vegan recipes for this where the fish is replaced with tofu or tempeh but none of them come close to the freshness of the original recipe.

Instead I’ve taken inspiration from the budget version of poke bowls that use tinned tuna. You might have seen my Chickpea Tuna Salad but this is so much better. An evolution on the original recipe, you won’t miss tuna. Faintly fishy from the addition of seaweed but still fresh, light, and filling. I like to be generous on the bowl fillings so I accompany mine with seaweed salad, rice, cucumber, shredded carrot, avocado, edamame beans, and mango for that extra burst of sweetness. Drizzle with a generous dollop of sriracha mayo and you’ll have a quick and easy dinner so tasty that I ate it twice in one day!

Ingredients

For the Chickpea Tuna:

250g Cooked Chickpeas*
1 Nori Sheet
1/4 Red Onion, finely diced
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/2 Tbsp Capers, finely diced
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
3 Tbsp Soy Sauce Substitute (See allergy note)
2 Tbsp Beetroot Pickle Juice**
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
2 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
1 tsp Sriracha
1 tsp Grated Ginger
1/2 tsp Chia Seeds
Salt & Pepper, to taste

For the Seaweed Salad:

3 Tbsp Dried Wakame
3 Tbsp Dried Hijiki
1 Tbsp Miso
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce Substitute (see allergy note)
1 Tbsp Mirin
1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
1 tsp Rice Vinegar
2 tsp Grapefruit Juice
1/4 tsp Chilli Flakes

For the Sriracha Mayo:

Poke Bowl Components:

Directions

Start with the seaweed for the salad. It needs to be rehydrated so place into a medium bowl with plenty of water for 20 minutes, or until the seaweed has swelled and soft. Whisk together the rest of the salad ingredients to make a tasty dressing. Drain the seaweed well and toss in the dressing. Place to one side.

Mash the chickpeas until they’re flaky but not too mushy. Crumble the nori sheet into the chickpeas and stir through the rest of the ingredients. Taste and season as needed. Whisk together the sriracha mayo ingredients.

Build your bowl with the rice on the bottom and a spoon of each element around the edges. Drizzle with your preferred amount of sriracha mayo and enjoy. An incredibly easy and tasty dinner with no need to turn on the stove.

Notes

* The chickpeas should be soft enough to easily crush with your fingertips. If yours are too hard then cover with water and simmer for 10 minutes to get them to a better texture.

** The beetroot pickle juice plays two roles here, it colours the chickpeas to make them more reminiscent of tuna and also adds flavour. At this time of year I tend to have some homemade pickles beetroot in the fridge but if you don’t have any substitute with 1 tbsp of white vinegar.

Allergy Notes; I’m going to keep saying this – Soy Sauce is NOT gluten free as the brewing process contains wheat. A good gluten free option is Tamari which normally contains little to no gluten, is slightly less salty, and thicker than soy sauce. As always, check your brand to make sure you’ve not accidentally picked up one of the few brands which uses gluten. We use coconut aminos in our house, while not quite as rich as soy sauce, it’s both gluten free and soy free but different brands vary tremendously – you may have to look around before finding one that suits you

This is vegan, gluten free, and nut free. If sesame seeds are an allergen for you then skip the seeds and oil but do at least replace the oil with a neutral tasting oil like rapeseed.

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