Gyoza Sauce

Posted on by aurorameyer

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We go through quite a bit of this sauce. We use it on everything from homemade potstickers (we’re still tweaking that recipe) to sushi to seared tuna and as a dipping sauce for just about everything. We used to buy several bottles of this stuff at a time when they went on sale, but we finally found the best recipe to make it ourselves. Considering how often we use it, this is definitely saving us some money!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
few squirts of sriracha (Rooster or homemade) sauce
1 pinch sugar
bit of minced fresh ginger

Directions:
Mix the ingredients together. We started in a mixing bowl and then transferred to an empty soy sauce bottle. Refrigerate.

My Opinion:
I can’t live without this stuff.

Seared Tuna

Posted on by aurorameyer

I love ahi tuna. I love it grilled, raw and just about every way in between. I finally perfected seared tuna. The key is to marinate the tuna and then pat the outside to nearly dry with a paper towel before searing.

Ingredients:
1/2 tbs sesame oil
1 tbs soy sauce
1tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder or smashed and chopped fine
1 tsp ginger powder or smashed and chopped fine (or you can skip everything from the sesame oil through the garlic powder and just use gyoza sauce, that’s what we do)
tuna steak
1 tbs sesame oil (or peanut or vegetable)
1tps Sriracha sauce
1 tbs toasted sesame seeds per tuna steak

Directions:
Combine the first five ingredients by whisking them together in a small bowl. Pour 1/2 to 2/3 over the tuna steaks and let marinate at least an hour. Reserve remainder for dipping sauce. Heat pan over medium high heat. Add oil and Sriracha sauce.  Sear steaks each side (including ends!) until pink about 1-2 minutes per side. If you prefer your tuna less raw in the middle cook each side a bit longer. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. (You’re really kind of coating it with the sesame seeds.)

My opinion:
I love this dish. I crave it regularly. It’s super simple to prepare and as long as you remember to cut with the grain, looks good on a plate. (I often forget.) The spice can be tempered to your taste by adding more or less Sriracha.

Spicy Grilled Tuna

Posted on by aurorameyer

Spicy Grilled Tuna by Aurora Meyer on aurorameyer.com

Spicy Grilled Tuna

This dish is easy and fast. Great for that late summer weeknight dinner.
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Ingredients
  

  • Tuna Steaks
  • sesame oil
  • soy sauce
  • garlic powder or smashed and chopped fine
  • ginger powder or smashed and chopped fine or you can skip everything from the sesame oil through the garlic powder and just use gyoza sauce, that’s what we do
  • sriracha sauce

Instructions
 

  • Mix together marinade ingredients. In a separate Tupperware, add tuna steaks and pour marinade over steaks. Seal with Tupperware lid and GENTLY shake to coat. Marinate for at least a half-hour up to one day in the refrigerator. Be sure to save the marinade to use while grilling. Get grill going (we’ve used both a charcoal grill and the George Foreman). Add tuna steaks. Cook until light pink halfway up the steak, about three to four minutes depending on the size of the tuna steak, then flip. (Ignore this step if using a George Foreman). Pour the remaining marinade over the tuna on the grill. Cook another three to four minutes.

Notes

My Opinion:
If you want this to be spicier, add more sriracha sauce to the marinade. The marinade is poured over the tuna steaks after the flip to keep them from drying out. The George Foreman cooks the tuna more thoroughly, but since I like mine a little more rare on the inside, I prefer the grill. Serve with a salad, rice or couscous. Easy and quick!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Homemade Sushi

Posted on by aurorameyer


homemade sushi by Aurora Meyer on aurorameyer.com

Homemade Sushi

I crave this dish at least weekly.
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Ingredients
  

  • Rice Ingredients:
  • sushi rice
  • 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar or to taste
  • 2 Tbsps sugar or to taste
  • Spicy Tuna Ingredients:
  • sashimi grade tuna
  • sesame oil
  • soy sauce
  • garlic powder or smashed and chopped fine
  • ginger powder or smashed and chopped fine or you can skip everything from the sesame oil through the garlic powder and just use gyoza sauce, that’s what we do
  • sriracha sauce
  • These are all to taste.
  • Additional Ingredients:
  • Nori

Instructions
 

  • Rice Directions:
  • Cook rice according to package directions. Most stores now carry sushi rice in the rice section. We’ve actually never had trouble finding it, but if you do have trouble just look for short-grained white rice. As soon as all the water has absorbed, put the rice in a glass or plastic bowl (no metal! It will give a reaction and the rice will taste funny!). While the rice is still hot, stir in the rice vinegar and the sugar. Mix well. refrigerate until cooled through but not cold. In our refrigerator, that’s about 20 minutes.
  • Spicy Tuna Directions:
  • Cut the tuna into squares small enough to fit in your food. Add sriracha sauce (remember the more you add the spicier it will be), gyoza sauce and tuna into your food processor. (I do not recommend a blender for this!) Blend until you get the consistency you want. I like ours to be a little chunky.
  • This next part is where you get to decide what and how you want to roll this. There are tons of great resources by just Googling “how to make sushi” that will give you instructions.
  • We obviously like our rolls a little bigger than traditionally served with a good deal of rice. The basics are: put the nori rough side up on either a bamboo mat or on a few pieces of folded tin foil, spread the rice on the nori, add the tuna mixtures and roll. Don’t be sad if it falls apart, it still tastes good!

Notes

My Opinion:
Obviously, I forgot to take pictures until we’d eaten a few off the plate. This recipe makes about three full sheets of tuna and rice-filled nori for us. More than enough for dinner for the two of us. What I like best about making sushi this way is that I control the spice level (we like it spicier than most restaurants make it) and can add whatever I want to it. Mostly meaning, no mayonnaise (yuck!). If we have leftover smoked salmon, that goes in. If we have leftover cucumbers, that goes in too. Even with the cooling time, this dish doesn’t take all that long to make. Yum!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!