Wasabi Dip and Pickles with a Cocktail
The Wonderful World of Wasabi
Have you ever tasted real wasabi? You might have sneezed your way through a tube of green ‘wasabi’ paste in the past but did you know that often these commercially produced products don’t actually contain real wasabi flavour? Most are a combination of mustard, horseradish and green colouring. The elusive flavour can only be tasted from fresh wasabi plants and it’s a wonderful experience tasting it for the first time. The rhizome, a sort of underground plant stem like the edible part of ginger, is often grated at the table in Japanese restaurants. The flavour reaches its peak at 5 minutes but after 15 minutes it’s gone. A fleeting ten-minute window of intense hotness with sweet undertones. It’s one of those magical ingredients that make Japanese cookery so special.
UK Grown Wasabi
So where can I get my wasabi hit, I hear you cry!? Well, the good news is you don’t need to book a return ticket to Japan to get your hands on the green stuff. Luckily, The Wasabi Company has been growing it since 2010 in Dorset and Hampshire. They are the only farm to successfully cultivate the Japanese native wasabi plant in Europe. This fussy little plant demands stream beds that are fed with nutrient rich spring water and the perfect combination of sun, shade and water flow at the right times of the year. Watercress growers since the 1850s, Jon Old’s family had excellent knowledge as well as the right conditions for a wasabi farm and now the farm supplies chefs all over Europe – including myself! I always have fresh wasabi for my sushi classes so if you want to experience fresh wasabi grated at the table then check out my next sushi class here.
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Powder, paste and rhizome – what’s the deal?
Only 2% of wasabi consumed in the UK is from the real plant. As mentioned, most wasabi pastes don’t contain real wasabi. So, when you’re making a recipe and a true wasabi rhizome isn’t available (it happens guys!), what can you do? I recommend using a wasabi powder with a high wasabi content. This powder is made from dehydrated wasabi plant, horseradish and mustard. The Wasabi Company has a 20% wasabi content powder and it works really well in the following recipes.
Wasabi is GRATE!
I know you love learning about Japanese kitchen kit so here’s another to add to your collection: a wasabi grater! The traditional graters were made from shark skin as it has the perfect texture to create a paste from your rhizome, I mean they are one of the most expensive vegetables in the world after all! However, if you don’t fancy something made from animal products, you can buy some wonderful metal graters online (https://www.thewasabicompany.co.uk/wasabi-graters).
On to the recipes…
I’ve put together a trio of wasabi recipes that can be served separately or work wonderfully as an aperitif/ drinks party with friends. Traditionally, wasabi is used as an ingredient in sushi as it helps to flavour and preserve the raw fish rolls. However, I’ve broken with tradition and used wasabi in some innovative ways. Firstly, vodka and wasabi make friends in a punchy cocktail. My wasabi cucumber pickle is a recipe straight from my Mother’s garden in Japan. Every summer my Mum harvests cucumbers and pickles them with wasabi. Japanese cucumbers are slightly thinner and less watery than the British kind, but equally delicious and refreshing. Finally, my wasabi sardine dip is so quick and easy but utterly moreish.
Wasabi Dip and Pickles with a Cocktail
Ingredients
- 30ml wasabi vodka
- 150ml tonic water or ginger ale
- 1 shiso leaves or some mint leaves
- Crushed ice or cubes
- Yuzu juice or lime juice
- 90g tin of sardines (approx. 3 sardines)
- 5 tbsp wasabi mayo (Wasabi Company mayo, or make up your own with wasabi powder or grated wasabi)
- 1tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 2tbsp chopped chives
- ½ tsp lemon or yuzu juice (optional)
- ½ tsp miso
- 1 tbsp yoghurt (Greek is best)
- 1⁄2 Cucumber (approx. 150g)
- 1⁄4 Head Cauliflower (approx. 150g)
- 150ml Beer (lager)
- 3 tbsp Wasabi powder (adjust to taste)
- 150g sugar
- 30g Sea salt
Method
- Place crushed ice or ice cubes in a tall glass.
- Pour the wasabi vodka over the ice.
- Add sliced shiso or mint leaves and a splash of yuzu or lime juice.
- Finally fill the glass with tonic or ginger ale. Enjoy!
- Remove the sardines from the tin, drain away the brine.
- Place the sardines in a small bowl and use a fork to break them up into smaller flakes.
- If you have wasabi mayo from the Wasabi Company, you can use this. If not use normal mayonnaise (Hellman’s or Japanese Kewpie, any type is fine) and mix 2 tbsp of mayo with 1 tbsp powdered wasabi or 2 tbsp grated fresh wasabi.
- Add the wasabi mayo, yoghurt and miso to the sardines. Mix well before adding toasted sesame seeds, chopped chives. You can also add Yuzu or lemon juice if you like.
- Serve with crudité vegetables, thin crackers or toasted bread.
- Note: Make in advance as you’ll have to wait 24 hours minimum before tasting the pickles!
- Take half a cucumber and cut it in half lengthways. Scrape out the seeds from the middle, using a spoon, then cut each half into 2 pieces of around 7.5cm each.
- Cut the cauliflower into bite sized pieces. Then place both into a sealable container. Tupperware with a lid or a pickling jar is ideal, but you could simply use clingfilm or waxed paper, to cover a small bowl.
- Pour over the beer also adding in the wasabi, sugar and salt. Give the mixture a little shake or stir. Then cover and store in the fridge.
- You can try the pickles after 24 hours, but 2 days is best for full flavour.
- Before serving, slice the cucumber more thinly into around 5mm slices. Enjoy the pickles by themselves with a drink, or serve simply with plain rice, or as a side to another dish.
- If you have time and space in your freezer, place the tall glasses in, to pre-chill them for the cocktail.
- I love to enjoy the dip with sourdough rye thins, I love Finncrisp’s products. Or simply with a good quality bread, thinly sliced and toasted. Flat bread is a good option too.
- For all recipes, start with a little wasabi and then increase the amount to suit your taste. Some like it hot but be aware powdered wasabi is normally hotter than fresh. Proceed with caution!
UPCOMING CLASSES
