Step away from the ground chicken. You have had it enough. Step away from the delivery menus. You have paid that crappy Chinese restaurant’s rent one too many times. Step away from the bags of popcorn, the almost-too-old bagged salad in the fridge, and the freezer burned lasagna that your aunt made in 2010.
Tonight, you are cooking.
It will takes some prep work. It will take careful timing.
But it will be beautiful. It will be wholesome. And, damn it, it will be delicious.
Tonight you don’t just eat.
Tonight, you dine.
Seared Coriander Tuna and Soy-Sesame Soba
Ingredients:
1 lb. sushi grade tuna
1/2 cup cilantro, washed and chopped
1/4 onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
1 tbsp. coriander
1 tsp. pickled ginger, minced
1 serrano chili, sliced or chopped
2 tbsp. soy sauce
For noodles
2 bundles soba noodles (usually served in bundles, otherwise, enough for 2 people), cooked
1/4 cup stock or water
3 tbsp. soy sauce
drizzle rice wine vinegar
drizzle sesame oil
1 tsp. sugar
more cilantro to garnish
1. Combine the 2 tbsp. soy sauce, onion, garlic, chile, and coriander in a Ziploc bag.
2. Add the tuna to the bag, close the bag, move the contents around so the tuna is fully immersed in the ingredients, and put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 45 minutes to marinate.
3. After marinating, drop the tuna in a pan on very high heat, and sear for 30 seconds on each side for rare. Save the marinade. Then, take it out of the pan and cut it against the grain on a cutting board. There is no need to let it rest before cutting.
5. In the pan that the tuna was in, dump the marinade, onions, and chile. Extract the garlic cloves, since they will have leached all their flavor already.
6. When the onions have softened and the peppers have started to char (about 10 minutes), turn the heat down to medium and add the rest of the soy, the rice wine vinegar, the water or stock, the sugar, and the sesame oil.
7. Let it come to a boil on medium heat, then reduce the heat to low for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Taste to make sure that the sauce is to your taste.
8. Put noodles in saucepan and coat with sauce.
9. Top noodles with tuna and extra cilantro, and serve.
This is totally how the other half eats – you know, the non-lazy, non-nyc-shoebox-sized-kitchen half. The tuna cooks so quickly it is shocking, and the salty, nutty, warm outside contrasts beautifully with the clean tasting, soft interior. This is ideal for anyone who likes spicy tuna rolls – it has all of those bright, spicy flavors. The noodles are soft and nutty, saturated with the salty, tangy flavors of the sauce. This dish can be served warm or cool, for lunch or dinner. Don’t keep it for more than one night, because tuna this rare really must be eaten quickly for safety reasons. Pair it with some Asian cucumber salad, pour yourself a glass of white wine, and enjoy dining like you have a personal chef.
Because, you do. It’s you.
