Although I do still have my old school cookery book, the cover came apart from the book long ago, on which the recipe was written and has disappeared. I've made it so often I can remember the ingredients but not the quantities so I'm afraid you'll have to go by taste.
I normally make a big portion of this as it keeps well in the fridge and any leftovers are perfect to have on hand for a quick snack. On that basis I would cook about 2 to 3 cups of rice but you can adjust the quantities accordingly. 1 cup of rice feeds 2 people. For each cup of rice I would use about 1 regular tin of tuna (112g) and half an onion; the rest of the ingredients you add to taste.
INGREDIENTS
White long grain rice (Uncle Ben's is the best)
French dressing / vinaigrette (olive oil & white wine vinegar)
Tinned tuna fish (I prefer the type canned in salt water as it is not greasy)
Onion (grated)
Mayonnaise
Tomato sauce
Anchovy essence (optional)
Tabasco (optional)
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
Fresh parsley
Cold water prawns (I buy frozen)
Little Gem lettuce
Fresh cherry tomatoes
Quantities: As an approximate guideline this should give you 2 good portions -
one cup of rice / one tin of tuna / half an onion / 2 eggs
METHOD
Rice: I favour the steaming method which for me works every time. Use a teacup or something similar to measure the rice and place in a pan. For every cup of rice add 2 cups of water, it's important that you measure the water using the same cup you measured the rice with. Bring to the boil, simmer for about 5 minutes and then take it off the heat. Place the lid on the pan and leave it, it's that simple! The rice will absorb the remaining liquid, all you have to do is fork through at the end it to fluff it up. If it doesn't absorb all the water you just need to leave it a little longer, or if you're in a rush you can put it back on the heat to finish it off but don't leave it for long or it will stick to the pan.
Eggs: Place the eggs in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes, set a timer
Prawns: If you have bought frozen cold water prawns, place in a sieve, rinse under cold water and place over a dish to drain & defrost.
Tuna mix: Whilst you are waiting for the rice & eggs to cook, in another bowl place the drained tuna fish, mayonnaise & tomato ketchup. Add the mayonnaise first & mix, it should be a creamy consistency, like you would for a sandwich filling, then add some tomato ketchup to taste. [If you are unsure of the quantities you could mix the mayonnaise & ketchup first, adding enough tomato ketchup to the mayonnaise to achieve a pink colour.] Add a couple of dashes of anchovy essence & tabasco. The tabasco is not meant to make the mixture hot, it acts as a flavour enhancer. Add the sea salt & freshly ground black pepper and some freshly chopped parsley, reserving some for a garnish [you could also used dried but fresh is better]. Then using a flat cheese grater, grate the onion directly into the mixture. I know some people don't like onions but as you are grating it into the mixture you get the benefit of the flavour and no-one will know it's there; don't be tempted to leave it out as the flavour just isn't right without it.
Eggs: Once your eggs are cooked put the pan in the sink and run the cold water tap on the eggs for a few minutes and leave to cool. Once cooled, shell and cut each egg in half lengthways.
Rice: As soon as the rice has absorbed all the water add a little french dressing & mix. It's important that you do it whilst the rice is warm so that it absorbs the flavour. Be careful not to add too much so as to make it greasy. [If you haven't got any french dressing it's easy to make some quickly. It's one part white wine vinegar to three parts olive oil, mixed well.] Now add the rice to the tuna mixture and combine well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Assembly: In an open dish arrange Little Gem lettuce leaves all around the edge. In the middle place your Tuna Fish Rice mixture in a neat mound. Then on top of the lettuce leaves, going all around the edge, place half a boiled egg, then a group of prawns, then halved cherry tomatoes, then another egg, prawns, tomatoes and so on. Sprinkle some chopped fresh parsley over the tuna mixture. Serve with crusty bread.
NB: The Tuna Rice mixture is best served at room temperature so if you make it advance and have stored it in the fridge, take it out a little while before it is needed.
Variation: This lends itself to finger food if served in individual Baby Gem lettuce leaves.
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