Crispy Rice and Spicy Tuna

I’m sure you all have heard of the crispy rice phenomenon… It’s something that got extremely popular from Nobu and it became the new “Instagram-worthy” dish.

I have always been passionate about cooking a wide-range of cuisines. I travelled to Japan last December with my family, and I left feeling so inspired. I was really motivated to recreate some of my favorite dishes we ate there. You’re probably thinking, “you had crispy rice and spicy tuna in Japan??” The answer is no, I didn’t. Don’t worry. Even though this dish has become so Americanized and is far from traditional Japanese cuisine, I still was intrigued and wanted to try cooking it myself. This isn’t exactly an easy dish, but it really is a crowd pleaser. It seems much harder to execute than it really is. So, here you go… My not so Japanese crispy rice and spicy tuna.

Ingredients

1/2 lb sushi-grade tuna (I got the tuna loin)

1 cup sushi rice (You can use any rice that you prefer, but after it is done cooking, you must add a tbsp or two of rice wine vinegar and stir continuously. You want it to become a sticky texture.)

1/2 cup avocado oil

1/3 cup mayo

1/4 cup siracha

2 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 jalapeno (optional)

1/2 avocado - sliced (optional)

Ponzu sauce (optional)- I eyeball soy sauce, sesame oil, mirin and orange juice. I add 1 tsp of flour to the mixture on a low flame. Whisk until thickened.

Directions

Start by cooking your rice. Follow the directions on the package, but usually sushi rice is a 1 cup of rice: 2 cups of water ratio. If you decide to use regular rice rather than sushi rice, once its cooked remove and transfer to a bowl ( suggest a wooden bowl). Add a tbsp or two of rice wine vinager and mix with a spatula until you get a sticky texture (about 4 minutes). Now, regardless of what type of rice you are using, transfer into a saran lined wrap cake pan (or any square shaped pan that you can mold rice into). Mold the rice into the pan and cover with another sheet of saran wrap. Put in fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 24. Now, lets assemble the spicy tuna. Start by dicing your tuna. Now, mince it. The tuna shouldn’t have any large chunks left. Transfer to a bowl. Add your mayo, siracha, and soy sauce. Mix. When you are ready to serve the crispy rice + spicy tuna (about 20 mins prior), take out the rice from the refrigerator. transfer molded rice in saran wrap to a cutting board. Cut the rice into 1 by 2 inch rectangles. Add avocado oil and sesame oil to a pan and heat on a medium flame. When the oil is at approx. 350 degrees, Add in your rice. You may want to do this in a few batches as it isn’t good to crowd the pan. Flip when crispy and golden brown (about 3 mins). When crispy on both sides, transfer onto a paper towel lined plate. Mold your tuna mixture into oval shapes. Garnish with ponzu sauce, jalapeno, and/or avocado slices. Enjoy!

Note: This isn’t a dish that will last in the fridge. Don’t make it too far in advance from eating or else the fish can get funky.