Sesame Ahi - ☺♥

This recipe is a Ray original. Orientals cook many different foods using sesame oil and sesame seeds and I decided that searing fresh Ahi grade tuna with that combination in mind would make a delicious entre´e. The ingredient amounts listed are for two very hungry adults. Scale up as necessary to feed more people. I included the other meal items (Fresh steamed green beans and rice cooked with leek and garlic in chicken broth) I served with the Ahi in the directions below.

Ingredients:

1 lb. of Fresh Ahi, skinless, about 3/4" to 1" thick, cut into four pieces

1 tbsp. of Corn Oil

3 tbsp. of Pure Sesame oil

4 tsp. of Toasted sesame seeds

2 tbsp. of Soy sauce

Directions:

Do not start the cooking of the Ahi until all other meal items have been prepared, for the Ahi is served at it's best when seared/grilled very hot on the outside while remaining rare/cool in the center. Heat the oils in a large wok to a very high temperature, almost smoking. Sear each piece of Ahi for about one to one and one half minutes on each side depending on the thickness of the Ahi. Do only one piece at a time. Add additional corn oil and sesame oil in the proportions shown in the ingredients above as necessary to assure that each side of the raw Ahi is in contact with the hot oil. After searing the second side of a given piece, transfer it to a hot serving plate, sprinkle on one tsp. of warm toasted sesame seeds and drizzle on 1/2 tbsp. of soy sauce. After all four pieces have been prepared serve the hot Ahi with the rest of the meal.

I decided to serve the Ahi with freshly made rice simmered in chicken broth. Thus, make one cup of raw rice according to directions and during the last five minutes of simmering add one chopped leek and three diced fresh garlic cloves and one tbsp. of soy sauce and recover the saucepan. When the rice is about done then put the fresh green beans into a steamer that already has the water boiling. Now is the time to make the Ahi! Steam the beans for about ten minutes (or less ... check them once or twice during steaming to assure they do not overcook and turn olive green in color) and serve them in a heated bowl with melted butter.

A nice clean tasting white or rose' wine goes nicely with this meal.

Oh my, yes, this was a delicious balanced meal and the Ahi was excellent!

I had some leftover Ahi so the next day I made an improptu Oriental Chef's Salad by thinly slicing the leftover Ahi and putting it on top of chopped lettuce, along with some thin slices of American cheese. I added pineapple chunks, used a sesame ginger vinagrette salad dressing and I sprinked additional toasted sesame seeds on top. Yummy! It was a perfect hot weather lunch. I am sure if you use your imagination (or an Oriental cookbook) you can find a variety of other ingredients that would be perfect in that salad.