Uwajiwhat: Wassup, Wasabi

Most know it as a cute green glob on the corner of the sushi platter, many from mistakenly putting a large first taste in their mouths without realizing it packs a potent punch. Unlike chili pepper, which burns the tongue, wasabi strikes the sinus cavity. But it’s actually protecting you, historically used as an anti-bacterial for the raw fish that often accompanies it. Some says it’s offensive to add more than the sushi chef smears on the fish, but we don’t let that stop us. Especially when we can get the fresh stuff – lots of labor in grinding it, but the taste, while hot, is also surprisingly sweet.

The cost of the rhizome can be prohibitive (you can usually find it at Uwajimaya), so you’re more likely to buy it as powder in a can or as squeezable paste in a tube. If you start with the dry stuff, you’ll need to mix it with water to make a batch. The tube is great as it’s ready to roll. Note, though, that both the powder and paste are probably not real wasabi (unless it says “hon” in Japanese characters), but instead western horseradish spiked with food coloring.

We use the powder for our homemade wasabi ice cream. No, this doesn’t derive from a mistake in thinking it was actually green tea (though we also love making matcha ice cream). We just dig wasabi. It’s great in mashed potatoes. We were even ahead of the curve on many of the wasabi products now out there (chips, dressings, etc.), but didn’t cash in on the craze.

And while we like wasabi with traditional Japanese foods like soba and tofu, we especially enjoy raw fish with a wasabi kick. Our favorite preparation, a special breakfast treat (or anytime, for that matter), is avocado maguro. Three perfect items: raw tuna, avocado, and our beloved wasabi, mixed with soy sauce and a little Japanese mayonnaise. Simply delicious!