This sense of sisterhood is something I’ve found with old and amazing friends, with new and unexpected ones and even among total strangers, in quite unexpected situations. I believe 2015 was a year of awakening from many points of view, from active discussions regarding equal rights for women to making steps towards acknowledging and normalizing gender identity issues, and to me that is fantastic. Don’t get me wrong, I value each and every human I build relationships with, gender aside, but I feel like there’s nothing quite like having a sister, whether biological or heart-bound. Women need other women and whoever denies that needs to question their denial.

Among the wonderful gifts that stem from sisterhood, there’s love, compassion, understanding, unity, friendship,empathy, immense power and empowerment, sharing of all sorts and… plates. Yes, plates. I received these great Vulnerabilia plates as a gift from Oana from Chicineta.ro, some of them co-created with my good friend, Marina from TouchSkinDeep, when they came over for dinner one evening. And since Oana has a sister, well, actually a “work wife”, in the shape of Cristina, food blogger extraordinaire over at Mazilique, I invited her too.

I’m not going to divulge secrets of our evening spent together, such as how we were about to literally set my kitchen on fire, which made us humorously question our food blogging qualities while sipping Chardonnay, close to copious amounts of, that is; like I said, I won’t go into that. I will however tell you that dinner consisted of tuna burgers and fries, followed by lemon meringue tarteletes. We started with some prosecco and ended with night caps, late in the night. The tuna burger, not to brag, was really good, everyone said so and since Cristina also finished hers, that was quite a compliment. without further ado, I give you the recipe. So, get your sisterhood game on track and make this burger! You will not regret it, I promise, sister’s honor! Also, the plates can be purchased from here and here

Asian Style Tuna Burgers

Serves 4

1 large cucumber, thinly sliced

½ red onion, thinly sliced

3 Tblsp rice vinegar

1 Tblsp plus 1 tsp sugar

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, smashed

1 Habanero chile, seeded and minced (or any other kind)

2 Tblsp fish/oyster sauce

3 Tblsp finely chopped cilantro

600g/1½ pounds good quality tuna

2 Tblsp vegetable oil

1 tsp sesame oil

4 hamburger buns, I get mine from the closest burger joint

2 Tblsp finely chopped dry-roasted peanuts

Ginger-Lemon Mayonnaise, recipe below

In a medium bowl, mix the cucumber, onion, vinegar, 1 Tblsp sugar and 1 tsp salt. Season with pepper and let stand for 1 hour at room temperature. In a medium bowl, using the back of a spoon, mash the ginger with the garlic, chile and remaining 1 tsp of sugar until they form a paste. Stir in the fish sauce and cilantro. On a cutting board, slice the tuna thinly, then stack the slices and cut into thin matchsticks. Cut the matchsticks into cubes, then chop until the pieces are roughly 0,3 cm/1/8 inch. Add the tuna cubes to the paste and mix until everything is combined. With your lightly oiled hands, carefully shape the tuna mixture into 4 patties about 2,5cm/1 inch thick. Place them on a large plate lined with cling film and pop in the fridge for 30 minutes. Heat your grill. In a small bowl, mix the vegetable oil with the sesame oil. Lightly brush the burgers and the cut sides of the buns with oil. When the fire is medium-hot, brush the grate or pan with oil. Grill the burgers for 3 minutes on each side to achieve medium rare doneness. Move the burgers away from the grill and toast the cut sides of the buns in the pan for about 1 minute. Drain the cucumber salad. Spread the Ginger-Lemon Mayonnaise on the cut sides of the buns and set the tuna burgers on the bottoms. Top with the cucumber salad and peanuts. Cover the burgers with the buns and serve immediately.

Ginger-Lemon Mayonnaise

200g/1 cup mayonnaise (home-made or store bought)

2 Tblsp soy sauce

2 Tblsp finely chopped cilantro

2 Tblsp finely chopped spring onions

1 Tblsp black sesame seeds

2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger

4 tsp lemon zest

2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Pepper, to taste

Simply mix all the ingredients together until well combined.