Jamie's tuna and jiggy greens

And what exactly are jiggy greens?*

I was a bit ‘iffy’ about calling these greens ‘jiggy’, but that’s what Jamie Oliver calls them, and who am I to mess with his terminology? By the way, if you’ve typed in ‘jiggy jiggy greens’ in your search engine – come on, admit it – then hopefully you’ve landed in the right place.

I suppose you have to have a certain attitude to get away with this sort of talk. You know, if you’re Jamie Oliver, then you describe sausages as ‘bad boys’ and a sprig of thyme as ‘lovely-jubbly’. If you’re Curtis Stone, then you say ‘dude’ or ‘hey, buddy’ a lot. And if you’re Nigella Lawson, you gaze lasciviously at a bowl of melted chocolate while the tip of your tongue caresses your lip. Whereas if you are a hatted-chef like Neil Perry, then you make dishes that require hours of preparation so you don’t have time to talk like a normal person. Geez, get with it, man!

This recipe was made on Jamie’s 15 Minute Meals this week. He also made 3 other meals in the 1-hour episode, but, like the coconut buns ordeal, it took me close to an hour to do this one dish. Oh, well, if I can’t walk the Jamie walk, then maybe I can talk the Jamie talk.
So – get into the 15-minute meals mindset: turn the stove up to full blast, have the kettle boiling, don’t bother peeling our garlic, give your bad-boy piece of tuna a roll in some lovely jubbly sesame seeds and throw your jiggy jiggy greens into a bowl and Get STUCK IN!

* Jiggy greens are a Jamie Oliver invention. I don’t know what it means.

Seared Tuna with Greens and Coconut Rice

serves 4

Ingredients

400g fresh tuna fillet

2 tblsp sesame seeds

1 tsp green tea powder (matcha) or green tea leaves

Salt and pepper

½ tsp vegetable oil

Greens:

Small bunch of mini asparagus

Small bunch of broccolini (tenderstem broccoli)

1 tsp crushed garlic

½ tsp sesame oil

1 tblsp oyster sauce

Rice:

270g tin of reduced fat coconut milk

Basmati rice to fill an empty 270g tin

Boiling water to fill an empty 270g tin

Pinch of salt

Salad:

1 red grapefruit, sliced

½ bunch chives, finely chopped

Method:

1. For the rice: Place the coconut milk, rice, boiling water and salt into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat.

2. For the greens: Finely slice the asparagus and broccolini (in a food processor or using a knife – just make the pieces very small). Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat, add the vegetables and garlic and stir for 1 minute, until the vegetables have softened slightly. Add the oyster sauce and stir to combine. Spoon the vegetables into a serving bowl.

3. For the tuna: Cut the tuna into logs about 4cm (1½ inch) in diameter. Mix the sesame seeds, green tea, salt and pepper on a board, then roll the tuna logs in the mixture until all sides of the tuna are coated. Heat the oil in the frying pan over high heat, then add the tuna and cook for 30 seconds on each side, until barely cooked on the outside and still raw on the inside. Remove from the heat and cut the tuna into 1cm (1/2 inch) slices.

4. To serve: Place the grapefruit on a serving plate. Top with tuna slices and chopped chives. Serve with coconut rice and greens.

 

Ingredients, including red grapefruit, lite coconut milk, tuna, asparagus and broccolini.

Coat the tuna in a mix of sesame seeds, green tea, salt and pepper. Personally, I'd add a lot more salt and pepper to give more flavour.

Lightly cook the tuna so you get a nice even crust.

Serve the tuna on grapefruit slices.

I actually preferred the coconut rice and jiggy greens to the tuna. The rice was perfectly cooked (the measurements using the coconut milk tin are spot-on) and the greens were still crisp without being too raw.

The tuna is quite pretty, though. Lovely (jubbly).

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Cat Update

Rather than being a cute pic of a sleeping Tabitha, this is Tab using the stair carpet as a scratching post. The carpet's a real mess of fluff and can't be replaced because scratchy cat will rough it up, too.

Also - Henry Update
Henry cat has returned to the neighbourhood, with a new collar, too!
Phew! Even though we (Tab and Bel) barely tolerate him, the men/dudes of the household adore him, so it's a relief that Hen is back. Pictures at 8.