The moment I first tried Kazu’s Tuna Salmon Bowl, my immediate thought was: “where have you been all my life????” From that day, I was hooked – visiting up to twice a week, at different hours, with different friends (and hairstyles), desperately hoping that the staff wouldn’t call me out for being a bit obsessive. In recent visits, I’ve resorted to calling in advance for a take-out order so that I can skip the line – much to the dismay and fury of the 15+ people waiting outside.

You’ve probably seen me: crouched on the curb of St Catherine and St Marc, a blonde girl stuffing her face into a plastic bag and grunting feverishly, throwing her head back in pure euphoria, chewing slower, slower and slower, eyes rolling back into her head, balancing precariously on her heels, wincing when a stray piece of fish slips through the chops sticks and onto the ground, pausing for a moment to contemplate picking it up. According to the behaviour I’ve seen on Intervention, I have a serious Tuna Salmon Bowl addiction.

The Tuna Salmon Bowl is essentially a salad: lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, sprouts, sticky rice, marinated tuna and salmon sashimi, topped with crispy rice noodles. What makes it exceptional and incidentally, addictive, is the mystery sauces. So with the realistic possibility of not being able to replicate the most important ingredients, I was very nervous. But food works in mysterious ways. A wise man once said: “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” Somehow, someway, we hit the jackpot. Friends, this is as close as any mere mortal will get to the holiness that is Kazu’s Tuna Salmon Bowl. You’re welcome.

Ingredients:

2 cup of sushi rice (follow package directions) + 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar mixed in
2 cups Romain lettuce, washed and shredded
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup carrots (julienned)
1/2 cup small cucumbers
50g sushi grade tuna
50g sushi grade salmon
20-30 dried rice noodles

Chilli Sauce:
2 tbsp chili oil
1 tbsp sesame
1 tsp veggie oil
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp of fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp pickled ginger cut to a paste-like consistency
tiny dab of wasabi

Sweet Soy Sauce:
1/8 cup soy
1 tbsp brown sugar
Heat in a small saucepan over med-high heat until it begins to boil, lower heat and allow to reduce to a thicker consistency (less than 5 mins).

– Allow the rice to cool almost completely, then place it at the bottom of the serving dish and put aside.
– In a small bowl, mix the diced tuna and salmon with half the Chilli sauce and let it marinate in the fridge for 15 mins.
– In a medium bowl, mix the bean sprouts, carrots and cucumbers with the Sweet Soy and let it absorb the flavour.
– In a medium pot, heat 3/4 cup of vegetable oil until it is VERY hot (at least 2 mins). To make sure it is the right temperature take a single rice noodle and dip it in the oil. If it puffs up immediately, you’re ready to go. Take a bundle of noodles (about 10-15) and drop them in the oil. Have your tongs ready to flip the bundle over after just a few seconds. Remove them right away and place on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining noodles.

Time to plate up:
– Place the sprout mix with the Sweet Soy Sauce on top of the rice.
– On top of that place the sashimi.
– Toss the lettuce with the remaining Chilli sauce and place on top.
– Finally, crispy noodles to finish