Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna
Crispy rice topped with a creamy spicy tuna mixture and finished with a light drizzle of eel sauce, inspired by the Nobu classic and designed for a perfectly crisp bottom with rich, sushi-style flavor in every bite.
Equipment
- rice cooker, or Saucepan
- fine mesh strainer
- small saucepan
- Mixing bowls
- plastic wrap
- Heavy bottomed skillet, or frying pan
- piping bag, or spoon
Ingredients
Crispy Rice
- 1 ¼ cup sushi rice, short grain
- 1 ⅔ cup water
- 1 kombu strip, optional, but recommended
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp potato starch
- avocado oil, for frying
Eel Sauce
- ⅓ cup tamari
- ⅓ cup mirin
- ⅓ cup cane sugar
Spicy Tuna Bites
- 10-12 oz sushi-grade tuna
- 3 tbsp Japanese mayo
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- 2 tbsp chives
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp tamari
- ½ tsp sugar
Toppings
- 1 to 2 Serranos, thinly sliced
- 1 avocado, cut into small wedges
- chives, chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the Rice: Rinse the sushi rice under cold water until the water runs mostly clear. Add the rice, water, kombu, and salt to a rice cooker or saucepan and cook until tender. Remove and discard the kombu.1 ¼ cup sushi rice, 1 ⅔ cup water, 1 kombu strip, 1 pinch salt
- Season the Rice: In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and rice vinegar until dissolved. Mix that along with the potato starch into the hot rice until evenly combined.½ tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tbsp potato starch
- Press and Chill: Line a rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap. Press the rice firmly into an even layer about ¼ to ½ inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap, place another baking sheet on top, and weight it lightly. Refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours, then transfer to the freezer for 30 minutes so the rice is firm but not frozen solid.
- Make the Eel Sauce: Combine the tamari, mirin, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until slightly thickened and able to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and let cool.⅓ cup tamari, ⅓ cup mirin, ⅓ cup cane sugar
- Prepare the Spicy Tuna: Finely chop the tuna into very small pieces. Transfer to a bowl and mix with the Japanese mayonnaise, sriracha, chives, sesame oil, tamari, and sugar until well combined.10-12 oz sushi-grade tuna, 3 tbsp Japanese mayo, 1 tbsp sriracha, 2 tbsp chives, ½ tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp tamari, ½ tsp sugar
- Cut and Fry the Rice: Remove the chilled rice slab and cut into 2 inch squares or rounds. Heat about ½ inch of avocado oil in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Fry the rice pieces in batches for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until deeply golden on both sides. Once the rice is in the oil, don’t touch it until it's ready to be flipped or they may fall apart. Transfer to a rack or paper towels to drain.avocado oil
- Assemble: Spoon or pipe the spicy tuna onto the crispy rice. Drizzle with eel sauce, then top with an avocado wedge, serrano slice, chopped chives, and that's it.1 to 2 Serranos, 1 avocado, chives
Nutrition
Calories: 206kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 10mg, Sodium: 507mg, Potassium: 205mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 603IU, Vitamin C: 11mg, Calcium: 12mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.