This Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice recipe is a shameless copycat of a signature appetiser on the stylish Nobu restaurant. Chunk dimension crispy rice is served with tuna in a creamy spicy dressing. I adore it. It’s costly. So I copied it. And added a canned tuna possibility too. 🙂
Nobu copycat: Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice
There’s no feel-good story behind in the present day’s recipe. It’s only a blatant incontrovertible fact that I actually love the Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice at Nobu* which is a signature starter of this globally famend restaurant. However you pay by way of the nostril for it – $30 for a really small serving. Right here it’s at Melbourne Nobu – top of the range cellphone snaps! 😂
* In case you’re not accustomed to Nobu, it’s a stylish trendy Japanese restaurant based by world-famous chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa that’s now world with a presence in main cities like New York, Tokyo, London, Dubai, Sydney. Gained’t lie – I’ve had hits and misses in numerous cities. However total, it’s very dependable. Agency favorite with celebrities.
Worth apart, I don’t need to go to Nobu each time I need to have it. So I made a decision to repeat it. It appeared like a easy sufficient recipe – and it’s! Crispy rice topped with uncooked finely chopped tuna combined with a creamy spicy dressing.
Nobu vs my model
At Nobu, the rice is served in small dice kind which you stab with (fancy) toothpicks then dip into the tuna which is so finely minced it is sort of a unfold. Based mostly on the proper golden color on all sides of the rice cubes, I believe they’re deep fried.
I’ve made my rice muffins flatter to allow them to be pan fried as a substitute of deep fried, and pre-assembled with the toppings. I additionally should not have a dipping sauce as a result of I’ve integrated seasonings within the tuna toppings.
Plus, I’ve made a canned tuna model as properly, as an possibility you make proper now as a substitute of going out to search out sashimi-grade tuna! Suppose – canned tuna fillings in sushi rolls. It’s actually tasty! That is the canned tuna model:
What you want
Right here’s what it’s worthwhile to make this Nobu copycat Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice.
1. Sashimi tuna or salmon – OR canned!
As talked about above, the bottom recipe is a copy-cat of the Nobu model which is made with uncooked sashimi-grade tuna, Plus, I’ve created a canned tuna model too as a neater make it now model / those that can’t get or don’t like uncooked tuna. It’s just like the canned tuna filling you get in sushi rolls – it’s actually tasty!
Sashimi grade tuna – To make the uncooked tuna model, you have to to get sashimi grade tuna. That is tuna that’s recent sufficient, dealt with and saved in a way fit to be eaten uncooked. It’s costlier than tuna supposed for cooking.
Frequent sashimi tuna sorts
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Bluefin tuna – the frontrunner, most premium sort. For flavour, color and texture.
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Yellowfin and bigeye tuna (ahi ahi) – The extra frequent sort that’s extra economical. It’s softer, not as crimson.
Canned tuna – Tuna in oil is greatest. If utilizing tuna in spring water, the combination is a bit of drier so maybe add further mayo.
2. Spicy creamy dressing & assembling
Right here’s what it’s worthwhile to make the creamy dressing and for assembling. The identical substances are used for each, it’s simply that you simply want extra for the canned tuna (a number of little tuna bits = extra floor space = extra dressing required).
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Kewpie mayonnaise is a Japanese mayonnaise that has a smoother flavour than Western ones. Substitute with entire egg mayonnaise. Regular mayonnaise (ie not labelled “whole-egg”) is tangier / sweeter which can dominate the uncooked tuna model an excessive amount of however okay for the canned tuna model.
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Sriracha is a crimson Asian spicy sauce that has different flavours in it along with chilli, equivalent to vinegar and garlic. Substitute with different spicy sauce of selection, however modify amount based mostly on spiciness.
Non spicy possibility – Ketchup!
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Inexperienced onion – For good inexperienced specks and a little bit of freshness.
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Sesame oil & seeds – For toasty sesame flavour!
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Lemon – For the canned tuna model, I discovered a touch of additional tang was fascinating. For the uncooked tuna model, recent lemon juice made the dressing a bit of too free so I persist with utilizing the tang in sriracha.
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Avocado – Optionally available (and never in Nobu’s model), however I actually like the way it provides an additional creamy factor. If avocado will not be in season or expensive, I’d skip it.
Crispy rice
All you really want for the crispy rice is sushi rice, oil for cooking and salt for seasoning. However it makes it further tasty to flavour the rice with sushi rice seasoning – simply rice vinegar and sugar.
See the separate crispy rice recipe for commentary on the substances.
make Nobu’s crispy rice with spicy tuna
The crispy rice muffins has been revealed as a separate recipe – as a result of it’s deemed worthy as such! It’s very easy – cook dinner rice, press in pan, chill to set, lower, pan fry.
So the steps beneath are for the topping and assembling.
1. Nobu spicy tuna topping
Tip: Uncooked fish is tough to finely cube as a result of it’s so mushy. To make it (a lot!) simpler, partially freeze the fish first to make it firmer. Simply half-hour within the freezer.
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Partially freeze the uncooked tuna (or salmon) within the freezer for half-hour. This can make it a lot simpler to chop.
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Minimize into small 0.5cm / 1/5″ cube. To do that, I slice 0.5cm / 1/5″ thick items, then 0.5cm / 1/5″ strips, then cube.
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De-chill the fish for 20 minutes or so, so it’s not ice-cold. Sushi tastes greatest when at room temperature which is round 18C/65F. Small diced tuna will de-chill pretty shortly.
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Combine – Add the mayonnaise, sriracha, inexperienced onion, sesame oil, sesame seeds and salt. Combine gently to mix. Then refrigerate till required. However bear in mind to purpose for the room temperature for serving! Heat crispy rice muffins with ice-cold tuna isn’t ultimate. 🙂
Creamy canned tuna topping
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Mash the drained canned tuna with a fork till it’s actually fantastic. The finer the higher.
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Add every little thing else and blend!
3. Assembling the crispy rice muffins
Nobu serves this as a DIY arrange with cubes of rice that’s speared with fancy toothpicks then dunked into the spicy tuna which is nearly in paste-like kind. I wish to assemble for a straightforward finger meals possibility.
Additionally, cubes of rice both must be turned 6 instances in a pan (what a ache!) or deep fried (what a ache!). Pan frying 2 sides of a flatter items is a lot much less effort!
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Cook dinner the rice muffins after you’ve combined the toppings. See instructions within the crispy rice muffins recipe.
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Avocado – Place on a serving platter and high with avocado slices. You’ll be able to both use 1 massive, or fan out smaller items as I’ve accomplished. You possibly can additionally pipe on avocado sauce – possibility for fast assembling if making large batches.
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Form – Use 2 teaspoons to form a mound of the topping right into a “soccer” form so it sticks collectively.
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Assemble – Place tuna on avocado. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, high with jalapeño. Repeat with remaining rice muffins. EAT!
I see you making this for mates who come spherical for Saturday night time drinks. Impressing the pants off your folks at guide membership. In your mum’s birthday lunch.
And simply typically since you need to eat Nobu within the consolation of your individual house, in trackies and your favorite slouchy t-shirt, and really feel smug that it value you round…oh I don’t know. About 80% much less? A minimum of!! – Smug Nagi x
Watch learn how to make it
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Crispy rice with spicy tuna (Nobu copycat)
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook dinner: 20 minutes
Rice chilling (minimal time): 4 hrs
Appetizer, canape, Finger Meals
Asian, Fashionable Asian
Servings15 items
Faucet or hover to scale
Elements
Creamy spicy canned tuna topping:
Directions
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Begin the rice the day earlier than or very first thing within the morning – it wants minimal 4 hours to sit back.
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Make the toppings first, then refrigerate whilst you cook dinner the crispy rice muffins.
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Cook dinner the crispy rice muffins and sprinkle with salt per the recipe.
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Assemble – Place rice muffins on a serving platter. Pile on toppings – I take advantage of teaspoons to make soccer shapes then slide on. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds, high with jalapeño. Eat!
Nobu spicy tuna topping:
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Freeze to agency – Place tuna within the freezer for half-hour to partially freeze – it is a lot simpler to finely chop when barely agency.
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Minimize into 0.5cm / 1/2″ cubes – the smaller the higher! Place right into a bowl and let it de-chill for 20 minutes (not as good ice-cold).
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Combine – Add every little thing into the tuna and blend till mixed.
Creamy canned tuna (sushi-roll filling model):
Recipe Notes:
1. Tuna or salmon – Because the fish is served uncooked, please make sure you get sashimi grade tuna which is further recent, dealt with and saved in a way fit to be eaten uncooked. Will probably be labelled as such on the retailers. It’s also possible to get frozen sashimi grade fish nowadays. It’s snap deep-frozen at -60C and fit to be eaten uncooked. I’ve gotten it from Japanese supermarkets in Sydney (Tokyo-mart, Northbridge).
2. Sriracha is a crimson Asian spicy sauce that has different flavours in it along with chilli, equivalent to vinegar and garlic. Substitute with different spicy sauce of selection, however modify amount based mostly on spiciness.
Non spicy possibility – Ketchup!
3. Kewpie mayonnaise is a Japanese mayonnaise that has a smoother flavour than Western ones. Substitute with entire egg mayonnaise.
4. Canned tuna – in oil is greatest. Springwater tends to be a bit of dry.
5. Leftovers – As soon as assembled, rice muffins will soften inside an hour. The uncooked tuna topping needs to be eaten inside an hour as soon as out of the fridge, although will preserve within the fridge for the day. Canned tuna topping combination will preserve for a number of days. Makes a bit of greater than you want – eat leftover as dip or on sandwiches!
Diet per rice cake (15 items)
Lifetime of Dozer
Crispy rice cake dimension context.
