Wasabi is a sushi seasoning made from the root of the Wasabia japonica plant, which is rare and expensive. Most wasabi served with sushi is a blend of horseradish, mustard, and green food coloring, and wasabi powder can be used as a substitute. Fresh wasabi should be grated immediately before consumption.
Wasabi is a popular sushi seasoning made from the root of the Wasabia japonica plant, which grows in Japan and some humid and temperate parts of the United States. To make wasabi, you need to get fresh wasabi root to grate into a paste or purchase wasabi powder made from dried roots. Wasabi powder can be reconstituted with water alone or with other ingredients to make wasabi paste. Once prepared, fresh wasabi retains its full flavor for only about 15 minutes. Grated fresh wasabi should be used immediately.
The wasabi plant is very difficult to grow and the root is rare and expensive to purchase. Because the flavor of fresh wasabi dissipates so quickly, making fresh wasabi ahead of time is nearly impossible. Wasabi must be prepared immediately before consumption to savor its full flavor.
Most of the wasabi served with sushi isn’t actually wasabi. It’s a blend of horseradish, mustard, and green food coloring that comes very close in taste and appearance to real wasabi. Most wasabi pastes and sauces sold in supermarkets are also horseradish-based, with little or no wasabi.
A cook has three options for making wasabi. Fresh wasabi can be grated from fresh wasabi root. While difficult to obtain, fresh wasabi root can be secured online from Japanese or American growers. To prepare wasabi the traditional Japanese way, a special tool made from dried shark skin can be used to grate the wasabi into a paste. If this tool is not available, you can use any fine grater.
In the absence of fresh wasabi root, dried wasabi powder can be used to make wasabi paste. Dried wasabi has the advantage of being easier to store than fresh root, which must be refrigerated and used within two weeks. The powder retains much, but not all, of the original flavor of fresh wasabi if it has been brewed correctly. It can be stored indefinitely and mixed with water, oil or soy sauce to make a paste and diluted to personal taste. To store leftover wasabi paste, mix with a small amount of oil and refrigerate.
Perhaps the simplest, if not the most authentic, option for making wasabi is to make it from a blend of horseradish, mustard, and green food coloring, as many Japanese and sushi restaurants do. The flavor of this blend is similar to fresh wasabi and lasts longer. Most people haven’t tasted real wasabi and therefore won’t be able to tell the difference.
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