Spicy Beet Poke – vegan twist to the classic Hawaiian dish

Poké bowl shops seem to be opening up everywhere these days.  But it’s never as good as the fresh poke you can get just about anywhere in Hawaii.  Poké is a Hawaiian dish that is typically associated with cubed sushi-grade raw fish marinated in soy sauce and sesame oil mixture.  It can be made with other seafood and also with some vegetables as well.   This spicy beet poke is a delicious vegetarian/vegan alternative to one of the most popular ahi tuna poke.

How to pronounce poké

First things first.  Let’s get the pronunciation straight.  It is spicy beet Poh-Kay.  Not Poh-Kee. 

Now that’s out of the way (it’s a bit of pet peeve for me!), we can move on to talking about how to make them!

Beets as alternative option for tuna

While it’s hard to beat fresh, melts-in-your-mouth, sushi-grade ahi tuna as the main ingredient, making poke with beets is a great alternative.  It’s less expensive, it’s healthier and it’s definitely easier to find in a local grocery store – unless of course, you live in Hawaii!

I’ve actually made spicy beet roll in a similar way to serve at my sushi parties.  They are “almost” as good as spicy tuna!  See how to make spicy beet roll here.

How to cook beets

You can use the cooked canned beets for this if you are totally pressed for time.  Just be sure not to use the pickled beets, which is pickled in vinegar.  But cooking the fresh beets is easy. 

To steam-roast beets:

• Place beets, washed but unpeeled, in a baking dish.
• Add about 1 inch of water.
• Cover the baking dish loosely with aluminum foil.
• Roast them at 400 F for about 1 hour.  Start checking the beets to see you can easily pierce them with a fork. Keep cooking until they are tender all the way through.

To microwave beets:

• Wash but do not peel the beets.
• Large beets should be halved or quartered into even sizes. If you are using small beets, pierce the skin in several places. 
• Place beets in a microwavable dish or bowl.
• Add about 1 inch of water.
• Cover the dish loosely with damp paper towel.
• Cook beets on high for 7 minutes.   Start checking the beets to see you can easily pierce them with a fork. Keep cooking until they are tender all the way through.

Whether you’ve microwaved or roasted the beets, once they are tender plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. 

Poke is easy and versatile

There really isn’t a right way or a wrong way to make poke.  If you have the main two ingredients – soy sauce and sesame oil – you can pretty much make it the way you want.   I used 3 : 1 ratio of soy sauce to sesame oil in my recipe.  But you can add more or less oil to make it to your liking. 

Soy sauce options.  Try to use the low-sodium soy sauce to keep the sodium level down.  The extra saltiness absolutely isn’t necessary.  Or use “tamari” if you want it completely gluten-free. 

Make it spicy.  I’ve used chili-garlic sauce to make it spicy.  But you can also use Sriracha sauce, spicy Chinese bean paste, tobanjan or spicy Korean gochujang.   Or keep it mild by skipping the spicy ingredient altogether.

Mayo or no mayo.  That is another option.  You can mix in Japanese or regular mayonnaise based on your preference.  We do like it just a little bit better with mayo. Probably because it does remind us of the spicy beet rolls we love.   And the color is quite spectacular!

This recipe calls for 2 tablespoons for the 3 medium beets we used.  But since the size of beets vary quite a bit, add the mayo gradually to get the consistency you want.   The last thing you want is this to have this dish laden with mayonnaise to make it too runny or overpowering with mayo flavor.

How to serve poke

• The most common way to serve poke is with perfectly cooked Japanese rice sprinkled with some furiake, Japanese rice seasoning. 
• Add your favorite salad, coleslaw like this Asian ramen coleslaw, or a vegetable side dish to make it a complete, healthy meal.
• Japanese potato salad is another popular side dish.

Optional garnish

You can further customize the spicy beet poke by adding some garnish of your choice:

• Green onions, finely chopped
• Roasted sesame seeds
• Avocado slices or cubes
• Nori (seaweed) flakes
• Thinly sliced onions
• Crushed macadamia nuts

Spicy Beet Poke Recipe

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