Edamame & Tofu Poke Bowl

Ingredients

• 280 g firm tofu, pressed, cubed
• 200 g sushi rice, cooked
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 150 g frozen edamame, cooked
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• pickled ginger, to serve
• miso soup, to serve
• nori sheets, to serve

Method

1. Press the tofu hard for 15 minutes between two plates with a weight on top — water means steam, and steam means no golden crust. Cube it, then toss with 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and a pinch of salt.
2. Heat a stainless or cast-iron pan over medium-high with a slick of oil. Lay the tofu down in a single layer with space between each cube — crowd the pan and the tofu steams pale instead of catching gold. Work in two batches if you need to. Cook 3–4 minutes per side, turning carefully, until every face is deep golden and lacquered.
3. Lift the tofu out onto a plate. Splash the remaining soy with the sesame oil and honey straight into the hot pan and swirl for 20 seconds — it will turn glossy and pick up the sticky bits the tofu left behind. That's your dressing; tip it into a small bowl off the heat and add a small squeeze of lime or rice vinegar if you want it sharper (the dressing wants a lift against all that richness).
4. Tip the warm sushi rice into a bowl, fold through the rice vinegar and a pinch of salt, and let it sit 5 minutes to absorb. Taste it — the rice should be glossy and gently seasoned, not bland. Adjust now, not at the table.
5. Divide the rice between two bowls. Arrange the tofu, edamame, avocado and cucumber in distinct sections on top — poke is about clear colour blocks, not a tossed salad.
6. Spoon the warm sesame-soy dressing generously over everything. Taste a corner of the bowl — most of the salt comes from the soy, but a final pinch of flaky salt over the avocado ties the whole thing together.
7. Plate up: scatter the sesame seeds and spring onions across the top, tuck the pickled ginger alongside the tofu, and serve with a hot bowl of miso soup and nori sheets for wrapping or tearing in.