I'm usually really hard on myself whenever I cook or bake, I often think: "Ah, this could use more _____." or "It's okaaaay, but I know what I need to do next time to improve this." I'm actually proud of this recipe, really proud. I hope you enjoy creating this!
xx, Jules
Ingredients
1.5 hours | Makes 16-20 bites
- 4 cups white short grain rice (we used koshihikari rice)
- 5 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 2-3 tsp Culinary Grade Matcha powder
- 1/4 cup cooking oil
- 1lb sushi grade maguro red tuna (raw)
- 1/4 cup Japanese mayonnaise
- 2 tbs siracha
- 1/2 tbs sesame oil
- 1/2 cup ponzu sauce
- green onions
- black and white sesame seeds for garnish
- (optional) Spicy Yuzu Matcha Aioli as a garnish
- This isn't totally necessary, but it's a delicious addition to this recipe. Click here for the ingredients and steps to quickly whip this up.
Steps
- Make steamed rice. Follow instructions on the back of your steamed rice package to make 4 cups of steamed rice. Or make steamed rice on your stovetop by placing 4 cups of white rice and 5 cups of water on medium-high heat in medium sized pot. Cover with a lid for approximately 10-15 minutes.
- Allow steamed rice to cool for 10 minutes. Add salt and rice wine vinegar. Use a spatula to incorporate the ingredients into your steamed rice.
- Separate 3 cups of steamed rice into a large bowl, sift your matcha powder into the steamed rice and use the spatula to evenly coat the rice with the matcha powder. Keep mixing until all of your rice is coated with matcha powder.
- Prepare a large cooking tray with parchment paper. Form 1.5-inch thick round discs of steamed matcha rice with your hands. It's helpful to have them 1.5-inches thick to achieve the perfect ratio of crispy to chewy rice once you fry them. Your discs of rice can be 2-inches to 2.5-inches in diameter.
- Place formed discs of matcha rice in your fridge for at least 1 hour to set. If you need to expedite this process, place discs of rice in your freezer for 30 minutes. This step is important so the rice discs can hold its form once fried.
- As your rice discs are setting in your fridge/freezer, begin preparing your spicy tuna.
- Remove tuna steak from your fridge and remove the membranes (where you see striations in the meat). You can gently do this with your fingers by pulling the meat apart from the membranes. If you purchased your sushi grade tuna from a Japanese market like I did, you may be able to ask them to remove the membranes for you in a "sashimi-style" fashion. If you're able to get help from someone in the market, I'd recommend doing so as this step can be tedious and time-consuming.
- Once all of the membranes have been removed, chop the tuna until it is "minced". Place your minced tuna in a large bowl and add: mayonnaise, siracha, and sesame oil. Combine all ingredients. Place in the fridge.
- Place a large nonstick pan on medium-high. Add cooking oil. Remove rice discs from the fridge or freezer. Place as many rice discs in your pan, ensure that there's at least 1-inch of space between the discs so they don't stick to one another. Fry each side of the disc until it is golden brown, set aside on a cooling rack. Repeat until all discs are fried.
- Use kitchen shears to cut thin slices of green onions for your garnish, set aside.
- Once all of your matcha rice discs have been prepared, you can begin assembling your bites! I love pouring ponzu onto my serving platter then placing the crispy rice directly on top of it — the rice soaks up the ponzu and is soooo delicious. Pour about 1 teaspoon of ponzu on your serving platter, place a crispy rice disc directly on top of the ponzu. Repeat this until your platter is beautifully arranged with as many crispy rice discs it can accommodate. Use a spoon to place 1 tablespoon of spicy tuna on top of each rice disc. Optional: drizzle Spicy Yuzu Matcha Aioli on top the spicy tuna. Garnish each piece with sesame seeds and green onions.
- Enjoy!!!
