Bottom-Friendly Poke Bowl

For the tuna:

Mix all the tuna ingredients together in a bowl, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for two hours! If using shrimp or tofu, you will still do this method, just grill them after marinating for 2-3 minutes per side. NOTE: If using tofu, press the tofu before marinating!

For the rice:

Place your dry rice in a bowl and cover with water. Mix the rice with your fingers to wash it. Drain the water. Repeat until the water runs clear. Do not skip this step or you risk humiliation. 

Place the rinsed rice in a pan, add the appropriate amount of water and the kombu. Cover and let soak up the flavor for 20 minutes. 

After soaking, keep covered and place over high heat. Once the water begins to boil, reduce the heat to low and cook according to the rice package's instructions (typically 10-15 minutes). You can 100% use a rice maker. I do not have one and want to make my recipes accessible to others that don't have gadgets. 

After the rice has soaked up all the water, cut the heat, and place the rice to the side for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and lay the rice out evenly on a baking sheet.  

Mix the rice seasoning together until the sugar has dissolved. Sprinkle the rice seasoning over the rice and mix together. 

For the pickling brine process (optional):

In a pan, place all the ingredients together and place over medium heat. No need to bring this to a boil, just dissolve the salt! 

Using mason jars, place your veggies (I used cucumbers, radishes, and carrots, but you can do whatever you want) in each one and cover with the pickling brine. 

Let cool completely with the lids off. Once cooled, screw the lids onto the jar and refrigerate. THAT is how you pickle legit anything. 

Serving:

Place the rice in the bowl, top with the tuna, all the toppings you could ever ask for, and that's it. I highly recommend eating the rice at room temp with everything else cold. It'll bring you a lot of joy. Bottoms up!