Crunchy Rice Tuna Bites (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ For The Rice

01 - 1 cup (210 g) short grain sushi rice
02 - 1 and 1/4 cup (310 ml) water
03 - 2 tbsp (30 ml) plain rice vinegar
04 - 2 tsp white sugar
05 - 1/2 tsp salt
06 - Vegetable oil (or sunflower or peanut oil for cooking)

→ For The Spicy Tuna

07 - 1/2 lbs (225 g) sushi-grade tuna (or try smoked salmon or drained canned tuna)
08 - 1 and 1/2 tbsp (17 g) kewpie mayo from Japan
09 - 1 tbsp (15 g) sriracha hot sauce
10 - 1/2 tbsp (7 g) soy sauce
11 - 1 tsp fresh lime juice

→ For Assembling

12 - 1 firm but ripe avocado
13 - 1-2 jalapeños
14 - Sesame seeds to sprinkle on top

# Instructions:

01 - Put the rice in a mesh strainer and wash with cold water until it runs mostly clear, about 1-2 minutes. Dump the clean rice into a big saucepan, add water, and put on medium-high heat with a lid that has a vent hole. If your lid doesn't have a hole, leave it slightly open. When water bubbles up, turn heat down to medium-low and cook until all water's gone, then switch off the heat.
02 - Grab a small saucepan and put it on low heat. Add vinegar, sugar, and salt. Keep stirring now and then until everything melts together, then turn off the heat.
03 - Dump your cooked rice into a 8″x 8″ (20 x 20 cm) baking dish. Gently stir in the flavoring mix with a spoon, then press the rice down flat to make an even layer about 1/2-inch or 1-inch (1.20 cm or 2.5 cm) thick. Let it cool down to room temp, wrap with plastic, and stick it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
04 - Take the rice out of the fridge and cut it into rectangle shapes. You'll end up with around 15 pieces. You can also make squares or use a greased cookie cutter for circles if you want.
05 - Pour oil about 1/2-inch (1.20 cm) deep in a medium skillet over medium heat. Wait till it hits 350F (180C). Drop in the rice pieces and cook 2-3 minutes till they're golden, flip them over, and cook another 2-3 minutes. Put them on a plate lined with parchment paper to soak up extra oil.
06 - In a bowl, mix together the kewpie mayo, sriracha sauce, soy sauce, and lime juice until they're all combined.
07 - Chop the tuna into tiny pieces. If you're using smoked salmon, chop it small too. For canned tuna, drain it really well first. Cut the avocado in half down to the pit, twist to open, take out the pit, peel off the skin, and slice it thin. For jalapeños, cut into thin slices (take out seeds if you don't want it too spicy).
08 - Stir the chopped fish into your spicy sauce. To build each piece, lay some avocado slices on a crispy rice block, add 1-2 tsp of the fish mix on top, place a jalapeño slice, and scatter some sesame seeds over everything. Eat right away.

# Notes:

01 - You can do steps 1-3 the night before and keep the rice chilled in your fridge.
02 - This snack won't keep well because of the fresh stuff on top. Best eaten right after making.
03 - Don't have raw tuna? No problem. Try it with smoked salmon or regular canned tuna.

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