Cooking at home is easier than you think with a Japanese-inspired recipe below, courtesy Katsuya by Starck, a Japanese restaurant located at the Jumeirah Al Naseem Hotel.

Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna – Makes 1 portion (4 pieces)

Ingredients:

• Clarified butter – 30 ml
• Cooked rice (sushi rice is preferable) – 180 gms
• Sushi vinegar – 5ml
• Soy sauce – 5 ml
• Spicy Tuna Mix – 73 gms

Serrano chili For the Spicy Tuna Mix:

• Tuna, fresh and ground, – 60 gms
• Rayu – 1 ml Masago – 1 gms
• Spicy mayo – 10 gms
• Green onions, finely chopped – 1 gms

Preparation:

Start by making the spicy tuna mix. In a bowl, combine the spicy mayo, masago, and rayo. Gently fold in the ground tuna, followed by the green onions, making sure not to over mix. Keep mixture stored in the fridge until ready to use.

Next, prepare the rice cakes. Bring the clarified butter in a pan or griddle to a medium-low heat. Mix the sushi rice and vinegar together so that it forms a sticky rice. Section the rice into 4 equal, rectangular pieces and cook on each side until a crispy, golden brown layer is formed, about 4 – 5 minutes each side. Transfer the rice cakes to a plate and spray or brush with soy sauce on each side.

On your serving plate, assemble the rice cakes. Take the spicy tuna mix and place a spoonful on each rice cake.

Garnish with thinly sliced Serrano chili and serve with soy sauce on the side.

* To make the spicy mayo, combine mayo (Japanese mayo is preferred, but regular mayo will also work) with a splash of miso, pinch of sugar, and your favorite Asian brand of hot sauce.