Serves 4

Tuna with Tamarind Sauce ingredients

4 x 165 g (53/4 oz) sashimi-grade tuna steaks
250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) Asian marinade
(Basics, see page 238)

Tamarind sauce
80 ml (21/2 fl oz/1/3 cup) peanut oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon palm sugar (jaggery)
1 brown onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1.5 cm (5/8 inch) piece ginger, finely chopped
1 tablespoon coriander (cilantro) root, chopped
1 tablespoon fish sauce
80 ml (21/2 fl oz/1/3 cup) shaoxing rice wine
1 tablespoon Chinese sweet black vinegar
60 g (21/4 oz/1/4 cup) tamarind purée
500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) chicken stock (Basics. see page 246)
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
100 g (31/2 oz/1 cup) snow peas (mangetout), trimmed
1 red capsicum (pepper), seeded, membrane removed and finely sliced
50 g (13/4 oz) mixed shiitake and enoki mushrooms
steamed Asian greens, to serve

How to Cook Tuna with Tamarind Sauce

Put the Asian marinade in a shallow baking dish and add the tuna steaks, turning to coat all over. Set aside for 10 minutes to marinate.

Meanwhile, make the tamarind sauce. Heat the peanut and sesame oils in a saucepan over medium—high heat. Add the palm sugar and cook for 1 minute, or until melted. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and coriander root and cook for 5 minutes, or until the onions are lightly golden. Add the fish sauce, rice wine, vinegar and tamarind purée and bring to the boil. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the chicken stock. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until reduced by one-third. Stir in the soy sauce, then remove from the heat and strain the sauce through a fine sieve.

Return to the warm saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the snow peas, capsicum and mushrooms and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 minute, or until the vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat and keep warm until ready to serve.

Preheat a chargrill pan or barbecue chargrill plate to high and sear the tuna for 1 minute, brushing both sides with the marinade. Turn over and cook for a further 1 minute, so the tuna is still pink in the middle. Remove from the heat.

Place each tuna steak over a bed of steamed Asian greens. Arrange the vegetables on top and drizzle with the tamarind sauce, to serve.