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Wasabi
by Jackie Miyasaka, from the August 2003 newsletter
The pungent rhizome known as wasabi japonica is a popular condiment traditionally served in Japanese cuisine. Although it is similar to horseradish in taste and often translated as “Japanese horseradish,” the two are unrelated.
The Japanese have long believed that fresh wasabi helps prevent food-borne illnesses because of its antiseptic properties. Japanese literature refers to wasabi growing wild and being used for survival by warriors as a seasoning for raw fish and venison as early as the 8th century. In fact, scientists today have discovered that fresh wasabi contains certain chemicals that are antimicrobial. Wasabi is reported to kill not only many bacteria associated with fish but also some forms of E-coli and Staphylococcus.
Because of this, grated wasabi is traditionally served with raw fish (sushi and sashimi). Traditionally, wasabi is prepared by grating the fresh rhizome against a rough surface. Some Japanese restaurants will only use a sharkskin grater for this purpose.
Fresh wasabi can be hard to find, but you may use powdered or paste wasabi instead. Powdered wasabi is sold in a small green can at the Co-op. To make a paste from powdered wasabi, stir equal parts of the powder and water in a small cup until the paste smells pungent. Cover the cup with plastic wrap and let the paste stand for five minutes so that the flavor has time to develop. One tablespoon of powdered wasabi yields one tablespoon of wasabi paste. An opened can of wasabi powder should be stored tightly closed in the refrigerator.
It is important not to overuse wasabi, for it will clean out your sinuses and make you cry, as well as overpower the delicate flavor of fish and other foods. Wasabi is the most pungent of traditional Japanese spices.
In addition to raw fish and cold soba noodles, tofu topped with soy sauce and wasabi paste is an example of another traditional food using wasabi. Wasabi can also be used as an ingredient in dressings, dips, sauces and marinades. It is even used in some snack foods, such as the spicy wasabi lima beans sold in the bulk section of the Co-op (yum!).
The following recipes are just a few of the many possibilities for incorporating wasabi into your cooking.
Wasabi-flavored spinach
6 oz. spinach leaves
2 teaspoons mirin
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons water
1/4 teaspoon wasabi paste
Lightly boil or steam spinach just until wilted, about 20 seconds. Drain. Rinse spinach under cold water. Squeeze water out of spinach. Mix mirin, soy sauce, water, in a small bowl. Stir in wasabi paste until it dissolves. Mix sauce through spinach evenly. Enjoy as a small side dish with rice.
Wasabi salad dressing
1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon sugar
Whisk together until wasabi paste dissolves. Enjoy over a mixed green salad.
Avocado Boats
Cut an avocado in half lengthwise. Put 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of wasabi paste in
the “bowl” of each half. Add 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Stir wasabi
into soy sauce until it dissolves. Spread over avocado. Eat each half by
spooning out of shell (one half per person). The combination of avocado with
soy sauce and wasabi is said to closely resemble the taste of tuna sashimi
(raw tuna).
Jackie Miyasaka works as a Japanese-English translator in Pullman.
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