Eating high protein from an asian pantry - making a post-workout recovery snack 🍙
Alice Sun (@alicecsun) shares a unique view into her life through the ways she uses food to nurture wellness, cross cultural divides, and bring people together, all through the medium of storytelling.
Alice Sun•
March 24, 2026
The next time your hunger hits you after one of those tough workouts of the week, remember the hidden gems in your pantry, before you order food and wait 45 minutes! That’s how I ended up coming up with this little snack, featuring my favorite Korean hot pepper canned tuna.
Lately, I’ve been looking to my pantry a lot more for my post-workout recovery routine, especially since I prefer whole foods over protein powders, chalky shakes, or processed bars.
Korean hot pepper tuna is the ideal snack for recovery. It’s pre-seasoned, savory, without feeling heavy. Instead of a bland tin of fish, you’re getting a flavor-packed base that’s incredibly easy on the stomach and, I find it much more digestible than a thick, chalky protein shake!
But of course, I have to put my own spin on it with a few easy additions that take no time, using ingredients I always have on hand like sesame oil, scallions, hot honey, and garlic. Here’s how to make it for yourself…
Open the canned tuna (1 can) and give it a mix.
Grate the garlic clove (1 clove) straight into the can.
Next fold in the sesame oil (1 tsp), seeds (1 tsp), scallions, dill, and finally hot honey (1 tsp).
Give it another good mix.
To enjoy, take a sheet of roasted seaweed (1 packet) and lay rice (½ cup) on top, then top with the tuna mixture.
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