Tuna with Ginger Greens & Crispy Rice

Ingredients

• 250 g jasmine rice, rinsed
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 4 tuna steaks
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 25 g ginger, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 2 pak choi, thickly sliced
• 100 g spinach
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 ripe avocado, sliced (optional)

Method

1. Cook the jasmine rice in well-salted water until tender, drain, then spread it out on a tray to steam off for a few minutes. Drier rice fries up far crisper.
2. Heat the sesame oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and press the rice into the base in an even layer. Leave it alone for 7 to 8 minutes; you want a steady sizzle, the edges turning amber, and a deep golden crust forming underneath. Don't be tempted to stir.
3. While the rice crisps, rub the tuna steaks with the soy sauce and a generous grind of black pepper. Season with a pinch of salt too; the soy carries most of it, but a pinch of salt on the surface helps the sear.
4. Get a heavy stainless or cast iron pan smoking hot. Sear the tuna in two batches if your pan is small; don't crowd it, or the steaks will steam instead of catching that proper seared crust. 30 to 60 seconds per side, no more: you want colour outside, ruby pink within. Lift onto a board to rest.
5. Drop the heat to medium and use the same tuna pan for the greens; those browned bits in the base are flavour. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant and pale gold.
6. Tip in the pak choi and spinach with a splash of water to loosen the fond, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the leaves are just wilted and the stems still have bite. Stir through the spring onions and chilli flakes. Taste and season.
7. Break the crispy rice into rough shards. Slice the tuna across the grain. Plate the rice shards, pile the ginger greens alongside, lay the tuna over the top, and serve with lime wedges; a squeeze of lime over the tuna at the table cuts through the soy and lifts the whole plate. Fan the avocado over the crispy rice if using; tuna, rice and avocado were made for each other.