Looking East

I tried something new last night, and Asian slaw with seared Ahi tuna. It won't be the last time for this.

The slaw is Napa and red cabbage, pickled ginger, cilantro, red and orange bell pepper slices, green beans and crispy lengths of fried wonton wrappers.  The sauce was an amalgam of many things - Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, hot sauce, ketchup, ginger, garlic and more all whizzed through a blender until smooth and consistent.  The tuna was dusted with salt and pepper and black sesame seeds and then pan seared in a hot skillet for just a minute or so on each side and then sliced. 

The flavors were delicious but it was the texture that made the difference here.  I had been hesitant to use raw beans, but they added a needed fresh crunch while the wonton wrappers added a much different type of crunch.  The tuna was rich but the sesame seeds gave it some pop.  The cabbages were crisp and fresh and the pickled ginger seemed to pick everything up.

It took twenty minutes to cut everything up and make the sauce and three minutes actual cooking time for the tuna.  Delicious.