Shaved Tuna, Chile Tapioca, Asian Pear, and Lime
This playful dish of tiny orange rounds-actually tapioca cooked in an intense chile-spiced broth-might make you think you're about to experience the salty burst of juice from salmon roe. The wonderfully intense chewy pearls are complemented by the subtle sweetness of tuna and the refreshing crunch of jicama and Asian pear.
Ingredients
Lime-Coconut Broth
- 1 cup coconut juice, preferably Bangkok Market brand
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- 1 fresh green finger chile, chopped
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed, smashed, and finely chopped
- 14 kaffir lime leaves, chopped
Chile Tapioca
- 1 dried ancho chile
- 1½ cinnamon sticks
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves, cracked
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons large tapioca pearls
- 1 tablespoon chili oil, preferably homemade (page 51)
- One 10-ounce, ½-inch-thick piece sushi-grade tuna
- ¼ cup diced jicama
- ¼ cup diced Asian pear
- ¼ cup sliced scallion greens
- ¼ cup diced roasted red bell pepper
Instructions
Lime-Coconut Broth
- To make the broth: Put the coconut juice, coconut milk, chile, sugar, salt, and ¼ cup of the lime juice in a medium saucepan. Stir well and bring to a boil. Stir in the lemongrass and lime leaves, remove from the heat, and cool, uncovered.
- When the mixture has cooled, strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice and set aside.
Chile Tapioca
- To make the chile tapioca: Put the chile and cinnamon in a small skillet set over medium heat. Toast, turning the chile and cinnamon occasionally, until dark brown and fragrant. Remove from the skillet, cool completely, and cut the chile into ½-inch pieces and crack the cinnamon into small pieces. Transfer to a piece of cheesecloth, add the cloves, and wrap tightly.
- Put the sachet in a small saucepan with the sugar, salt, and 2½ cups water. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the tapioca. Turn the heat to low and cook, stirring, until the tapioca is almost clear, about 15 minutes. The tapioca should be tender, but still chewy. Drain, rinse under cold running water until cool, and drain again.
- Transfer the tapioca to a mixing bowl and remove the sachet. Season lightly with salt and stir in the chili oil until well mixed. Set aside.
- Cut the tuna lengthwise into 1-inch-wide strips. Cut each strip crosswise into ⅛-inch-thick slices. Divide the tuna slices among four serving bowls and arrange decoratively on the bottom. Season the tuna lightly with salt, then scatter the chile tapioca on top. Garnish with the jicama, pear, scallions, and bell pepper. Pour enough broth into the bowls so that it comes halfway up the sides. Serve immediately.