Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice Cakes

Spicy Tuna:

1/2 Lb.Sushi-grade Ahi tuna in 1/4 inch cubes. The small cubes make it easier to eat the cake in two bites

2 Tbs Kewpie mayonnaise

4 tsp..La-yu chile oil

1 tsp. Sriracha

2 tsp. Sesame seeds or combination sesame seeds and furikake

Finished crispy rice cakes:

1 cup raw or uncooked Japanese sushi rice

I cup Dashi or water or water and dehydrated dashi packet

Note: The linked recipe details that I use a 1-1.3 ratio of raw rice to dashi or water which is more than is traditionally used in Japan. For this recipe however I use a 1:1 ratio . Transforming cooked Japanese rice to sushi rice involves the addition of a mixture of rice, sugar and salt and then cooling and manipulating the rice so that the kernels are independent of each other. We will not do that here as our goal is to have the sushi flavoring and not the sushi texture. I do recommend the same 70 ml per 1 cup raw uncooked rice ratio but here simply mix it rather than elaborately work to ensure the kernels do not stick to each other. All of this is to insure the rice cakes are tight and well formed after being pressed

60 ml sushi vinegar mixture (see end of sushi rice recipe)

Sesame oil . How much to use is detailed later

2 Tbs. Kabayaki or Unagi sauce

1/2 avocado

1/3 jalapeno

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Prepare sushi rice with alterations discussed in above note

Prepare the Spicy Tuna by mixing the ingredients well

Add approximately 200 grams cup of cooked rice into each rice cake mold, press and store overnight in refrigerator. If using a different mold, count on 40 grams of the rice mixture per cake the mold is intended to yield.

Rice Mold with knife guide from Japanese store

Next morning take cakes out of molds and slice or, depending on whether your mold facilitates it, slice them while in the mold. Cutting is much easier if the knife is sharp, heated under hot water, and cleaned after each slice. The goal is to have sharply delineated cakes.

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Fry the fish cakes for a couple of minutes on each side at medium heat until visibly brown and crispy. The best way I have found to accomplish this is to add and heat several tablespoons of sesame oil in a non-stick frying pan. I then add half the fish cakes by placing them by hand over a pool of sesame oil and then slide them aside so that you can do the same for the remainder of the cakes. You should have very little loose sesame oil once all of this has been accomplished. Wait patiently and avoid temptation to add more sesame oil. It will crisp up. After a couple of minutes flip carefully (I use small kitchen tongs), add a bit more oil and with your hand and repeat the sliding you did earlier to make sure each has absorbed some sesame oil. After 2-3 minutes they should be ready. If not satisfied, without adding any more oil, simply and always carefully flip them back over again to accomplish this

Crisply Delineated Sliced rice Cakes Before frying

Set on a rack to dry and very lightly salt

Assemble the cakes while warm by first brushing the top of the cakes with the Unagi sauce, then adding sliced avocado, followed by a Tbs of spicy tuna and capped with a sliver of jalapeno

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Chef's notes

The Johnson Cookbook

Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice Cakes

Spicy Tuna:

Finished crispy rice cakes:

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