Spicy Tuna Rice Bowl

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Spicy Tuna Rice Bowl

Ingredients

1 ½ cups steamed rice (about ½ cup raw rice)
185g tin tuna in spring water
1 tbsp sriracha hot sauce
2 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise
1/2 cucumber
1 sheet nori
60g kimchi
1 carrot
1 tsp white sesame seeds

Equipment

Chopping board
Chef’s knife
Box grater
Sieve
Mixing bowl
Tongs
Measuring spoons
Large serving bowl

Directions

Cook your rice or reheat your leftover rice.
Drain the tuna from the spring water.
In a medium bowl, mix together the drained tuna, sriracha and kewpie mayonnaise. Set aside.
Peel and grate the carrot. Thinly slice the cucumber.
Carefully toast the sheet of nori over an open flame in a fanning motion. It only takes a few seconds on each side. I recommend using tongs.
Into a large serving bowl, add the steamed rice. Top with the tuna, kimchi, carrot, cucumber, toasted nori and garnish with sesame seeds.

Notes

Chef Tips

Build it on hot rice

Get the rice out of the cooker and into the bowl while it’s still steaming, and have everything else prepped and waiting. Hot rice against cold tuna, cold kimchi and cold cucumber is what makes this dish great.

Toast the nori over a flame

Hold the sheet with tongs and fan it over an open gas flame, a couple of seconds a side. It goes from flat and papery to crisp, and the flavour changes completely. It happens fast and nori burns easily, so keep it moving and don’t hold it still over the flame.

Storage

This is an assemble-and-eat bowl rather than something to keep. Once the hot rice is under the cold toppings it won’t be the same reheated or chilled. The spicy tuna mix on its own will keep covered in the fridge for a day, so if you want a head start, make that and prep the vegetables, then cook fresh rice when you want to eat. Don’t toast the nori until just before you add it to the dish.

FAQs

Can I use microwave rice?

Absolutely. This recipe is about making a weeknight meal as easy as possible, so if a packet of rice in the microwave is what gets you there, do that. Sushi rice or coconut rice work too if you feel like changing it up.

Can I swap the tuna out?

Yes. Cooked chicken is a good swap and teriyaki chicken is a personal favourite. On the vegetable side, shaved cabbage, avocado or sliced daikon all work in place of the carrot and cucumber.

How do I make it creamier?

Chop half an avocado and fold it through the tuna with the sriracha and Kewpie, rather than laying it on top. It softens the heat of the sriracha at the same time.