Watermelon Poke Bowl

Ingredients:

• 1/2 watermelon, large dices
• 200 g tofu, large dices
• 6 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar
• 2 scallions, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
• 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
• 1 medium cucumber
• Red rice, cooked, for serving
• Pickled red and white radish, for serving
• Crisp shallots, for serving
• Fresh cilantro, for serving
• Peanut, crushed, for serving
• Black sesame seed, for garnish, optional

Preperation:

1. Using a sharp knife, cut around the watermelon slices to remove the rind, then dice into 1” / 2 cm cubes.
2. Transfer to a medium bowl.
3. Cut the tofu into 1” / 2 cm cubes, dust with rice flour and fry crisp and golden in hot oil. Rest on kitchen paper.
4. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, lime juice, agave, scallions, ginger, white sesame seeds, and chilli flakes. Mix well.
5. Pour half the marinade over the watermelon cubes and the other half over the tofu cubes and stir.
6. Let marinate in the fridge for 1 hour.
7. Cut cucumber lengthwise into halves, deseed and cut into half-moons.
8. In a small bowl, combine the mayo and Sriracha.
9. To assemble the poke bowls, start with rice as a base and top with watermelon, tofu, cucumber, radish and Tahini dressing.
10. Use the excess marinade as a dressing to drizzle over the bowl.
11. Garnish with black sesame seeds, crushed peanuts and picked cilantro leaves.

Tahini Dressing

Ingredients:

• 4 medium-to-large cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• Pinch of ground cumin
• 6 tablespoon ice water, more as needed

Method:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the garlic and lemon juice. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes, to give the garlic time to infuse the lemon juice with flavour.
2. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into another medium bowl. Press the garlic solids with a spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the garlic.
3. Add the tahini, salt and cumin to the bowl. Whisk until the mixture is thoroughly blended.
4. Add water 2 tablespoons at a time, whisking after each addition until smooth.
5. Season to taste.