- 400g/14oz piece fresh tuna, sliced into 4 steaks
- 2 lemongrass stems, split lengthways, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 250g/9oz fine rice noodles
- 1½ limes, juice only
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbsp finely grated ginger
- 3 tbsp Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce (nước chấm or nam pla)
- 2 red chillies, finely chopped
- 4 tbsp roasted unsalted peanuts
- 4 spring onions, finely sliced
- large bunch Thai basil, leaves picked
- 3 tbsp shredded mint leaves
- For the tuna, mix the lemongrass, soy sauce, lime juice and vegetable oil in a bowl until well combined. Add the tuna steaks and marinate in the fridge for one hour.
- Heat a griddle pan until very hot.
- Sear each piece of tuna for 30 seconds on each side, then remove from the pan.
- Meanwhile, for noodle salad, pour boiling water over the noodles and leave to soak for five minutes.
- Place the lime juice, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, chillies and peanuts into a pestle and mortar and crush to a fine paste.
- Drain the noodles and toss with two-thirds of the dressing. Set aside for 5-10 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse. Add the spring onions, holy basil and mint and mix until well combined.
- To serve, carve the tuna into thick slices. Pile the noodle salad onto serving plates and top with the tuna slices.