Everything you Need to Know about Wasabi + Wasabi Recipes
Did you know that most commercial wasabi doesn’t actually contain any real wasabi? It’s necessary to substitute since the wasabi root is one of the most expensive vegetables in the world and is considered a highly gourmet ingredient even in Japan. Real wasabi is not so overpowering as commercial wasabi and has a more sophisticated flavour so it’s perfect to enjoy for a little treat.
Learn everything about this powerful root and how to make your own wasabi and soy pickles and wasabi salmon dish.
What is wasabi?
The true wasabi plant is part of the Brassicaceae family which also contains horseradish, radishes, and mustard. The rhizome of the wasabi plant is used which is the underground plant stem, similar to the edible part of ginger — it’s often grated at the table in Japanese restaurants.
It's best to grate the wasabi right before you eat it to enjoy the aroma; it has a fleeting ten-minute window where the flavour is most powerful, then you can fully enjoy the intense hotness with sweet undertones that comes with fresh wasabi. You will be able to tell the difference between real and substitute wasabi from the texture, real wasabi will have a gritty texture from grating rather than a smooth paste.
I’ve talked about wasabi before in my wasabi dip and pickles recipe where I also share how to make a fun wasabi cocktail.
Health benefits of wasabi
Wasabi has some incredible health benefits which make sourcing the real thing worth it when possible. It’s a powerful anti-parasitic food containing ITCs which are effective against the parasites that can be present in seafood which is why it’s such an ideal accompaniment to sushi and sashimi — it even prevents food poisoning as it contains allyl isothiocyanate which inhibits the growth of Salmonella sp.
It’s great for your overall body health too keeping your cholesterol and circulatory system in check while helping to regulate blood pressure. It’s also a powerful anti-inflammatory and immune-system booster which has many overall benefits for the body. It’s very high in vitamin A and B vitamins and also contains calcium, iron, magnesium, and fibre so it provides a lot of support towards a healthy and balanced diet.
Where to buy fresh wasabi in The UK?
Wasabi needs a very particular environment to grow, with fresh running water. There's a very succesful and secretly located wasabi producer in Europe which luckily for us is based in The UK, in Dorchester — The Wasabi Company.
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.
They have so many fresh and artisan wasabi products available, from the fresh plant to wasabi flowers, leaves and stems and also powdered wasabi which is a good alternative for when you can’t use fresh wasabi as it contains a much higher wasabi content than the commercial pastes. You can use code Yuki15 for a generous 15% discount.
How to prepare wasabi?
The easiest way is with a wasabi grater! Traditional graters are made from shark skin as it has the perfect texture to create a paste from your rhizome. However, if you don’t want to use a product made from animal skin, you can buy some wonderful metal Japanese wasabi graters online from The Wasabi Company which make it much easier than an ordinary grater or knife.
How to store your wasabi?
You do not want to waste any of your wasabi so there are a few ways to store it. You can keep it up to two weeks in the fridge, the best way is to keep it in a wet paper towel with something airtight around it like cling film. You can also keep the whole wasabi plant in the freezer and grate it as needed or even freeze grated portions.
How to use wasabi in your recipes?
Not just a side to sushi and sashimi, there are many interesting recipes to try with your fresh wasabi. You can even replace horseradish with wasabi in many dishes such as with a roast dinner for an interesting twist or as a wasabi mash.
Here are two of my favourite wasabi recipes for you to try at home. Enjoy!
Pickled Wasabi with Soy Sauce — Kizami-Wasabi Shoyu
Ingredients
- 60 ml tamari soy sauce
- 1 tbsp shio (salt) koji if you have
- 1 piece of dried kombu ( kelp) ( 3cm x3cm)
- 1ctbsp sake
- 1tbsp mirin
- 2 fillets of salmon
- 2 bowls of Japanese cooked rice
- 150g of mixed oriental mushrooms
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2-3 spring onions
- 2tsp sunflower oil
- 2 tbsp pickled wasabi
Method
- Wash the fresh wasabi and trim the dark or brown part with a knife.
- Grate 1/3 of the wasabi finely and slice the rest of the wasabi finely with a knife.
- Soy sauce, sake, mirin, and kombu into the container and add all the wasabi.
- Keep in the fridge for a day and it will be ready to use.
- Cut the salmon into 3 cm cubes.
- Slice the mushrooms, spring onion, and garlic thinly.
- Saute the mushroom with oil for 5 minutes. Then add the spring onion.
- Pour in 1 tbsp of pickled wasabi sauce and remove from the heat.
- To poach the salmon, place the cubed salmon into the boiling water, and simmer for 5 minutes,
- Place the cooked Japanese rice into the Donburi bowl and place the salmon on top of the rice. Put the mushrooms on top of the salmon.
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