I entered this challenge wanting to knock out 50 countries this year, and then I started aiming for 60 but life got in the way. But I think 56 is a solid showing and given that I’ve been on a baking extravaganza for the past few weeks, my motivation level was starting to wane. I do plan to write a post covering my top dishes of this year but for now, country #56, Tuvalu, has me ending 2021 on a high note. Tuvalu is an island country in the Polynesian area of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are about midway between Hawaii and Australia.

With the sugar rush I’d been experiencing the past few weeks, I was craving something lighter and not overly complication for a weeknight meal. Tuna has often been my Achille’s heel. I’ve only attempted to make it a few times and in every other instance I overdid it. My dad has become pretty masterful at cooking tuna and I tried to channel his biggest piece of advice: “When you think it needs just another minute or two, it probably doesn’t.” And he was right.

Tuna Coconut Curry was a great dish to round out the year. A typical curry in flavor, this included soy sauce to add a bit of salty bite, cucumbers and onions that were cooked in curry powder to perfection. I only cooked the tuna chunks for about 4 minutes to give them a bit of sear, but a purplish/red center. Great way to round out the first year of this effort and left enough room in my stomach for yet another cookie. 🙂

I used the recipe found here: http://globaltableadventure.com/recipe/tuvalu-tuna/

Overall Level of Effort: 1

Skill Level: Intermediate (only because I think tuna can be challenging)

Would Make it Again? Yes

Additional Notes: Some people may like their tuna a bit more cooked that I made mine. I think if it were cooked a bit more, the sauce of the curry would alleviate any toughness of the tuna, but I wouldn’t cook it until it’s completely brown (the error I made for years)