The Restauranteur: Andre Gerschel’s delicious Forbidden Black Rice Bowl

In our new series, EW eats with The Restauranteurs deliver their know- how in easy to follow recipes to ensure your dining in is the new going out.

First up, The Restauranteur – Andre Gerschel.

“As we all start to stay in more and cook more at home there will always be a couple dishes that we will always miss.,” Andre says. “Often sushi or sashimi can seem intimidating, but this is a super easy recipe that literally anyone can execute.

“The real secret to the most delicious food I have ever eaten is taking the best possible ingredients and doing as little to them as possible. Also always taste at each step. Keep tasting, keep cooking, stay safe and bon appetit!

Active Cooking Time: 20 min

Prep Time: 2 hrs

Feeds: 3 humans or 2 starving ones.

• Fresh Sushi Grade Tuna (at least 800 grams)

• • Try and pick a filet of tuna that is even and rectangular this will help ensuring an easy and even sear. The tuna should be deep pink/purple with zero iridescent scale or skin. It should have zero fish smell. If it smells too strong and its dark in color don’t waste your money. When you press your finger against it should spring back readily if the indentation stays its either frozen or not fresh.

Vegetables

• 4 sprigs Cilantro, organic fresh
• 1 Jalapeno or other fresh chile, organic
• 2 Limes, organic juiced
• Wakame (Seaweed) (available at most specialty Asian food stores)
• 1 Firm Avocado
• 1 package of Rocket Salad (Arugula)

Grains

• 1/2 cup Black rice long grain ideally wild
• Sesame Seeds (black and white ideally)

Dressing

• 10 Tablespoons Roasted Sesame Oil
• 5 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 5 Tablespoon of lime juice from 4-5 limes, freshly squeezed
• Zest of 2 limes
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha, or any other hot sauce you like (i.e. Tabasco)
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

Required weapons:

• Rice pot medium sized enough to fit at least 4 cups of water, with lid.
• Colander/ Strainer
• Pyrex
• Chopping board
• Sharp Knife
• Citrus Press (not necessary but useful)

Recipe method:

Preparing the Tuna

1. 1. Remove tuna from package pour roasted sesame oil into small pyrex or high lipped bowl soak for at least 2 hours before in fridge flipping at half way so the tuna can absorb the oil.
   2. Once the Tuna has been marinated thoroughly, get a second Pyrex or large flat plate fill generously with black and white sesame seeds, so that there are more than enough seeds to create a thick crust.
   3. Transfer the marinated tuna (save the oil) onto the flat plate with mixed seeds. Let it sit in the seed mixture on each side. Use your hands to generously coat the seeds on each side.
   4. Transfer black to fridge for 15 mins before searing (this will help the seeds stick to the tuna)
   5. Non stick pan on the highest possible heat. It should be completely dry. Using tongs lay the fillet of tuna down and away from you. Should sear for exactly 3 mins on each side. This is sushi grade tuna so eating it pink in the middle is perfectly encouraged.
   6. Slice to preferred thickness, don’t slice till you are right about to sit down so the sesame seeds stay nice and packed.

Preparing the Rice *Soak & Cook Method*

7. Soak ½ cup of rice in tap water. (the soaking ratio should be 1 to 3 for every 1 cup 3 times as much water to soak). In this batch 1.5 cups of water is perfect. Water should be cool or room temp. This should take
   1. Soaking has its benefits, including removing phytic acid, which inhibits mineral absorption, and breaking down some of the hard-to-digest proteins. Additionally, soaking grains cuts the cooking time down substantially
8. Black rice has a 1-2 Ratio (each rice and grain style is different) which means for every cup of rice used you need double in water. I cup of uncooked rice will swell to usually 3 cups of cooked rice.
   1. The cooking time of black rice will depend on whether you soaked it or not. If you soak it, it takes somewhere between 20-25 minutes. If you prefer not to soak it, then you are looking at 50-60 minutes of cooking time.
9. Place ½ cup black rice 1 cup room temp water on a medium heat stove, put the lid on wait till it boils, then bring down to a simmer for 20-25 mins. You’ll know it’s done when the rice opens up and has a lovely purple finish too it. Saltwater to taste.

Preparing the Dressing

1. Combine all the above ingredients together order doesn’t matter but if it gets too salty or not enough don’t add flake salt just add soy. Remember this will be to taste so if you like it spicy…treat yourself.
2. Put aside dressing till the end.

Assembling the Dish

1. You want to build this thing nicely for brownie points. Start with a large salad style sharing bowl. Layer down the black rice first, if it’s sticking a little in the rice pot add the excess sesame oil from the tuna, we marinated early so give it a little shine and a lot of flavor.
2. Layer down the arugula salad it should be raw and undressed.
3. Thinly slice avocado, radish, when cutting the green chili be careful not to include too many seeds the best way to handle this is cut down the middle (long wise) remove the seeds straight into trash with spoon) and then finely dice.
4. Layer avocado radish and seedless chili slices across the salad.
5. Pour dressing evenly over whole salad.
6. Lay slices seared tuna on top of black rice in a slight fan matching the angle of the bowl.
7. Take a hundred photos share them and create intense food FOMO.

Enjoy!

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