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    Home » From The Garden

    Hawaii Poke Tower

    Published: Aug 17, 2022 by Poppy Hudson

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Ingredients to make Hawaiian style tofu poke.
    Saucy vegan aioli drizzled over a tofu poke tower.
    Poke tower made with seasoned tofu, rice and avocado with a spicy mayo suace.

    This island-style Poke Tower is a plant-based version of an unforgettable dish I polished off in sunny Lahaina town. The restaurant is long since gone, but the memory of that first scrumptious poke tower inspired this vegan remake.

    Dragonfruit stack with black rice, vegan poke and avocado.

    Back then I appreciated how neatly the plate was stacked with rice, avocado, and tuna poke. Plus, I thought the spicy, creamy sauce was a brilliant accompaniment.

    To be sure, every bell was rung with the crispy taro chips served on the side. All those dynamite flavors and textures remain, but the tuna has been replaced with tofu poke and I've kicked it up a notch with gorgeous dragon fruit.

    Top tip

    Poke is pronounced poh-KAY and the syllable emphasis is the same as in "okay".

    Why it works

    • Vegan tofu poke
    • Tropical dragon fruit
    • Spicy aioli
    • Crispy taro chips
    • Can be made as a bowl or tower
    Jump to:
    • Top tip
    • Why it works
    • Tofu poke
    • Ingredients
    • Spicy mayo
    • Equipment
    • Steps
    • Make a bowl
    • Expert tips
    • FAQ
    • More island recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    Tofu poke

    Residents in Hawaii love their poke! Walk into any everyday market and you're likely to see a deli counter with several varieties of poke available. Ahi tuna, octopus, and shellfish are typical, and local home kitchens all have their own favorite main ingredient.

    So how can you make a poke tower vegan? No worries. Diced tofu absorbs the traditional marinade beautifully and makes seafood obsolete.

    Tofu cubes with spicy sauce and seaweed.

    For real island-style poke, the marinade should always include soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and seaweed.

    Fortunately, the other ingredients in a poke tower like rice and avocado are naturally vegan. This version is even more nutritious with chewy black rice and dazzling pink pitaya slices.

    Red skinned, purple flesh pitaya.

    You won’t believe how sensational the juicy dragon fruit slices taste holding the tower together. Their tiny crunchy seeds mingle with the smooth avocado, black rice, and luscious spicy mayo.

    Now it's not only healthier, and seriously delicious, but filling enough to be a main dish with shredded carrot, fresh Asian greens, and taro chips completing the poke tower.

    Ingredients

    Diced tofu and seasonings.
    • Tofu - Firm-texture block tofu
    • Soy sauce - Shoyu and gluten-free tamari are fine
    • Toasted sesame oil - A must
    • Dried seaweed - Ogo is traditional, but hijiki is good too.
    Dragon fruit, Asian greens, avocado and vegetables with lemon.gs.
    • Asian greens - Complement the island flavors
    • Dragon fruit - Can be white, pink, or purple
    • Black rice - Chewy short-grain brown rice can be used as well

    Spicy mayo

    Vegan mayonaise with red chili paste.

    The sauce for this island plate is a simple combo of creamy vegan mayo and vegan red chili sauce. Sriracha is ideal. Choose a brand or homemade recipe that is garlicky, lightly sweet, and preferably fermented.

    If you don't like things too spicy, go ahead and tone down the heat to your taste. Or kick it up if you want inferno heat, but whatever you do, don't skip the sauce.

    Equipment

    Slices of vivid purple pitaya made with a round cutter.

    If you want your poke tower to line up in beautiful, meticulous layers, you need a bonafide food ring. They make stunning restaurant-style presentations at home a snap.

    Because I spent years working in restaurants, it’s only natural to find such an item in my kitchen drawer. Do you have one at home? If not, they aren’t expensive to buy and make all the difference.

    Webstaurant Store has professional chef's equipment and the perfect size mold for this recipe. This alternative model with a matching tamper is made from thinner material but the tamper is helpful when pressing down the tower layers.

    Steps

    It only takes a few minutes to make the fillings for this poke tower.

    Make poke tower fillings in four steps.
    1. Soak hijiki, squeeze ginger juice, and dice tofu.
    2. Mix tofu with poke marinade.
    3. Dice avocado, slice green onions, and squeeze lemon juice.
    4. Mix avocado filling.

    Assemble poke tower

    Mix spicy mayo, cut dragonfruit, stack tower with filling and plate with chips.
    1. Mix spicy mayo.
    2. Slice dragon fruit and shred carrot.
    3. Fill the food ring with fillings.
    4. Plate poke tower with greens and taro chips.
    Taro chips and Asian greens.

    Make a bowl

    If you don't have a food ring and are impatient you might be wondering if you can make this recipe into a tofu poke bowl. The answer is a resounding yes.

    Double the black rice and fill bowls halfway. Top bowls with all the remaining ingredients saving the sauce and taro chips for last.

    Now you've got a satisfying, healthy poke bowl that tastes every bit as good as the show-stopping plated tower.

    Expert tips

    • Soak seaweed while dicing tofu and mixing fillings.
    • Drain excess marinade from the tofu before assembling the tower.
    • Use a food ring that is 3 inches wide and 2 inches tall.
    • Lightly grease your food ring and tamper.
    • Freshly cooked black rice at room temperature packs best.
    • Pack layers by pressing down gently but firmly with a fitted tamper or flat-bottom glass.
    • Transfer the filled food ring to a serving plate with a thin spatula.
    • Carefully lift the food ring off the tower once it's plated.
    Stacked poke tower with tofu in place of tuna.

    FAQ

    What is poke?

    Poke is a food that has origins going back to the time when Polynesians and Hawaiians used to salt raw fish and mix it with seaweed and roasted ground kukui nuts. However, the word poke, which means to slice or cut in chunks in Hawaiian, was not used to refer to the popular modern-day dish until the late 1970s. At that time chefs were introducing other ingredients and flavors from different cultures like shoyu and toasted sesame oil from Japan.

    Is sriracha vegan?

    Not all brands of sriracha are vegan. At first look, the standard ingredients of chilies, salt, sugar, garlic, and vinegar seem to be safe. However, some brands use sugar processed through animal bone char or may have additives like fish sauce. Bottles labeled organic or vegan and homemade sriracha are your best bet.

    More island recipes

    • Juicy, chewy seitan skewers with Hawaiian barbecue sauce.
      Grillable Huli Huli Seitan Skewers
    • Bowl of beet and taro soup with vegan sour cream swirl.
      Quick Taro Root & Roasted Beet Soup
    • Finely chopped herb salad made with gotu kola, chilies, lime and fresh coconut.
      Healthy Gotu Kola Sambol Salad
    • Buttered crumpet with guava jam spread on one half.
      Foolproof Guava Jam Recipe

    Enjoyed this post? Leave a comment, rate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ it, and follow @poppyswildkitchen on Instagram. Aloha!

    📖 Recipe

    Tofu poke stack with red dragonfruit and avocado.

    Hawaii Poke Tower

    Dazzling pink dragon fruit slices hold together this seriously delicious tofu poke tower. Layered with nutritious black rice and smooth avocado. Spicy, creamy sriracha sauce and taro chips complete the dish. Vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free.
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
    4
    Calories: 395kcal
    Author: Poppy Hudson

    Ingredients

    • ½ tsp. dry ogo or hijiki seaweed
    • 2 TB soy sauce
    • 1 TB toasted sesame oil
    • 2 tsp. tomato paste
    • 1 tsp. fresh ginger juice squeezed from grated ginger
    • 1/16 tsp. gochugaru red chili powder
    • 1 cup firm tofu diced
    • 1 cup avocado diced
    • 2 TB green onion chopped
    • 1 tsp. lemon juice
    • 1 cup cooked black rice
    • 2 large dragon fruit
    • 1 medium carrot , grated or spiralized
    • 2 cups mizuna or Asian salad greens
    • 4 TB vegan mayonnaise
    • 2 tsp. sriracha or red chili paste with garlic
    • 2 oz. taro chips

    Instructions

    Soak seaweed

    • Cover ½ tsp. dry ogo or hijiki seaweed with water and let soak.

    Make spicy sauce

    • Mix 2 tsp. sriracha or red chili paste with garlic and 4 TB vegan mayonnaise together in a small bowl.

    Make tofu poke marinade

    • Whisk 2 TB soy sauce , 1 TB toasted sesame oil, 2 tsp. tomato paste, 1 tsp. fresh ginger juice , and 1/16 tsp. gochugaru red chili powder in a medium-sized bowl.

    Prepare filling ingredients

    • Wrap tofu in a thin cloth or paper towels and press gently to remove as much water as possible.
    • Dice 1 cup firm tofu in small ¼ inch squares and stir into marinade.
    • Squeeze water from soaked seaweed. Add to marinating tofu.
    • Dice 1 cup avocado and mix with 2 TB green onion and 1 tsp. lemon juice in a small bowl.
    • Slice 2 large dragon fruit into ¼ inch thick slices with the skin on. Then use a 3-inch cookie cutter to trim off the edges and make perfect rounds.
    • Peel and grate or spiralize 1 medium carrot.

    Assemble Poke Towers

    • Have ready 1 cup cooked black rice. Lay a piece of dragonfruit on a flat cutting board. Place a food ring over the dragonfruit slice. The ring should be the same size as the slice or slightly smaller. If it's smaller, press the ring down over the dragon fruit slice and trim the excess from the outside.
    • Now, for each tower, add ¼ cup of black rice. Use a tamper or flat-bottomed glass to pack the rice evenly over the pitaya slice. Add ¼ cup marinated tofu. Press gently. Top tofu with ¼ cup of the avocado mixture and even top. Finally, add a second slice of dragon fruit to finish the layers.
    • Leaving the ring on the tower, slide a thin wide spatula under the bottom of the poke tower. Transfer the tower to a serving plate with the spatula. Gently lift off the mold. Repeat assembly for the remaining three poke towers.

    Serving

    • Divide 2 cups mizuna or Asian salad greens and 2 oz. taro chips between plates and add the shredded carrot. Drizzle dragon fruit towers with sriracha mayo.
    • Serve poke tower right away or chill up to one day before serving.

    Notes

    Ingredients
    Dried seaweed - Ogo is traditional, but hijiki is good too.
    Soy sauce - Shoyu and gluten-free tamari are fine.
    Toasted sesame oil - Be sure to include.
    Taro chips -  Are available online and at most large markets.
    Equipment
    Use a food ring that is 3 inches wide and 2 inches tall.
    Preparation
    Soak seaweed while dicing tofu and mixing fillings.
    Drain excess marinade from the tofu mix before assembling the tower.
    Lightly grease your food ring.
    Freshly cooked black rice at room temperature packs best.
    Transfer the filled food ring to a serving plate with a thin spatula.
    Carefully lift the food ring off the tower once it's plated.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 25g | Sodium: 832mg | Potassium: 643mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 3243IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 3mg | Magnesium: 70mg | Phosphorus: 175mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @PoppysWildKitchen or tag #poppyswildkitchen!

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    Hello, I'm Poppy. Delighted to meet you! I LOVE creating exquisitely delicious food from beautiful, seasonal, and exotic produce. Gardening and living in nature's paradise makes it easy. Come learn how you can feel more alive with nutritious plant-forward recipes in your own kitchen.

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