Tuna Rice Bowls

On Friday, we were treated to dinner at Satnam and Susan's. I have only dined with them a few times, but knew up front that I was following in the footsteps of a global audience. I am one of hundreds from around the world who have graced their dinner table. This particular evening was highlighted by Satnam's mother joining us. Good timing, I think.

Friday evening's menu started with strawberry and orange smoothies, then carrot, cilantro and honey soup, followed by Tuna Rice Bowls. Satnam used a recipe from the Herb Farm's cookbook, which he obtained on one of his jaunts across the pond. Lucky us. Even luckier, we ate from a beautiful piece of tuna thanks to Susan's savvy and negotiations at our local Waitrose fish counter. Yes, I noted the necessary skills for me to use next time.

Jumping right in at the rice bowls, Satnam sat down to chop and slice all the necessary vegetables at the dinner table so we could talk and salivate as a group. Avocados, cucumbers, mint, coriander and nori sheets were all waved in front of our noses. Then, Satnam unwrapped the tuna, something I haven't seen in a while... a wedge of tuna that makes me imagine exactly where it came from on the fish. After sharpening his knife and cutting the tuna, Satnam seared it in an almost smoking pan. A quick assembly and voila! a fantastic, filling salad. Yes, salad!

We finished the meal off with pineapple and mango dressed with sugar-tossed basil. It's a tough way to start a weekend as nothing I ate the rest of the weekend held a candle to Friday night's food.