Tekkadon (鉄火丼, tuna sashimi rice bowl)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Rice cooker, or a heavy pot with a tight lid
• •Hangiri wooden sushi rice tub, or a wide shallow bowl
• •Uchiwa fan, or a folded piece of clean cardboard
• •Sashimi knife, or a long sharp chef's knife
• •Donburi bowls

Instructions

1. 1

   Rinse the rice

   Rinse the rice in a bowl of cold water, swishing gently with your hand, then drain. Repeat until the water runs almost clear. This washes away loose surface starch, so the cooked grains shine and separate instead of turning pasty. Let the rinsed rice drain for 10 minutes.

2. 2

   Cook the rice

   Cook the rice with 1 cup water in a rice cooker, or in a covered pot over low heat after bringing it to a brief boil. Let it rest, covered, for 10 minutes after cooking. Resting lets the moisture settle evenly, which matters because vinegared rice should be tender through the center, not wet at the edges.

3. 3

   Season the rice

   Warm the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt just enough to dissolve the grains, then cool it. Turn the hot rice into a wide bowl and fold in the seasoning with a cutting motion while fanning the rice. You're cooling and glossing it, not mashing it. Stop when the grains look shiny and the rice is warm, not hot.

4. 4

   Slice the tuna

   Pat the tuna dry and place it on a clean board. With a sharp sashimi knife, or the longest sharp knife you own, slice across the grain into pieces about 1/4 inch thick, using one smooth pull for each cut. Don't saw. A clean cut keeps the surface bright and the texture supple, letting the knife do the seasoning.

   Keep the tuna cold until the last moment. Cold fish slices more cleanly and stays sweet on the tongue.
5. 5

   Build the bowls

   Divide the warm vinegared rice between two donburi bowls, filling each only about two-thirds full. Scatter a little shredded nori over the rice. Fan the tuna slices over the top in odd-numbered groupings, leaving some rice visible at one side so the bowl can breathe.

6. 6

   Finish and serve

   Set a small dab of wasabi beside the tuna, not smeared across it, and add sesame or shiso if using. Serve soy sauce separately so each bite can be touched lightly. Pouring soy over the bowl floods the rice and dulls the tuna, and this dish has no need to shout.

Chef Tips

• •Ask the fishmonger what arrived today that they would eat raw. A label is useful, but that question is better. On a poor day, the right answer is to buy something else.
• •Use lean akami for the clean Edo feeling of the dish. Fatty tuna is lovely, but tekkadon doesn't need richness piled on richness.
• •The rice should be warm, never hot. Hot rice tightens the fish on contact, and then you've made the tuna pay for your impatience.
• •Shred the nori just before serving. Once it sits over warm rice, its aroma fades and the texture softens.

Advance Preparation

• •The sushi vinegar can be mixed up to one week ahead and kept refrigerated.
• •Cook and season the rice shortly before serving. Vinegared rice is best the day it is made and should not be refrigerated for this bowl.
• •Slice the tuna only just before serving. Keep it covered and chilled until the bowls are ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 400g)