A poke bowl usually means paying restaurant money for rice, a little fish, and a lot of mayo. This is the version you build at home: marinated tofu doing the protein work, brown rice underneath, and mango-and-veg for crunch and sweetness. One bowl is 33g of protein for around 418 calories.

The only “technique” is patience — let the tofu sit in the soy-and-maple marinade for at least 10 minutes so it actually tastes of something. The maple-balsamic drizzle is two ingredients and a splash of oil.

Ingredients

  • For the rice
  • Brown rice — ⅓ cup dry [P 5 C 50 F 2]
  • Water — ⅔ cup
  • Salt — to taste
  • For the poke bowl
  • Extra-firm (high-protein) tofu — 350 g block, cubed [P 60 C 8 F 21]
  • Low-sodium soy sauce — ¼ cup [P 4 C 4 F 0]
  • Sugar-free maple syrup — 2 tbsp
  • Red bell pepper — 1 medium, sliced [P 1 C 7 F 0]
  • Mango — ½ cup, diced [P 1 C 12 F 0]
  • Carrot — 1 small, peeled or shredded [P 1 C 5 F 0]
  • Cucumber — ½ cup, chopped
  • Salt — to taste
  • For the maple balsamic sauce
  • Balsamic vinegar — 1 tbsp
  • Sugar-free maple syrup — 1 tbsp
  • Olive oil — 1 tsp
  • Pepper — to taste

Method

  1. Cook the rice. Add rice, water and salt to a small pot. Boil, then cover and simmer on low ~15 minutes until no water remains.
  2. Marinate the tofu. Drain, pat dry and cube the tofu. Toss with the soy sauce and maple syrup and let it sit at least 10 minutes.
  3. Build the bowls. Divide the rice, tofu, red pepper, mango, carrot and cucumber between two bowls.
  4. Dress. Whisk the balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil, salt and pepper and drizzle over each bowl.

What to eat it with

  • As-is — a full 418-cal, 33g-protein meal in one bowl.
  • Over spinach or greens — turns it into a bigger salad for almost no extra calories.
  • Extra maple-balsamic — make a double batch of the dressing and keep it in the fridge for salads through the week.

Variations

  • Any veg you like: edamame, avocado, radish, seaweed — poke bowls are built to be swapped.
  • Lower carb: cut the rice to ¼ cup and add more cucumber and pepper for volume.
  • Crispier tofu: pan-sear or air-fry the marinated cubes before assembling.

Honest notes

  • Fibre: about 5g per bowl, mostly from the brown rice and veg.
  • The tofu weight: the original book says “1 block (approx. 84g)” — that’s a typo. 84g of tofu can’t supply 33g of protein a serving. A standard block is ~350g, which is what the macros actually reflect. Use a firm or extra-firm high-protein tofu; leaner brands will pull the fat and calories down a little.
  • Sweetener: sugar-free maple keeps the calories where they are; real maple adds ~50 cal per tbsp.