wasabi

Her Serene Highness

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Mar 12, 2002, 4:54:31 PM3/12/02

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I was in the NYC branch of Takashimaya today. Stopped in to have lunch at
the Tea Box and to have a look around their food area. It turns out that
thay have several powdered Japanese condiments, including wasabi. I'm
excitied, at I have a feeling that I've never had real wasabi before- I've
only had the stuff served in most sushi restaurants, which I'm told is
usually horseradish.
The tin was fairly large- 2.8 oz. I'm sure it was overpriced- $8.00; but at
least I know I'm getting the real thing. My question is- how do I prepare
it for seasoning sushi? Should I make a paste (and if so, how)? If I become
daring and decide to make sushi, should I use it to season anything?
Perhaps I'm nuts but this purchase makes me feel happy.

Michele

Trinker

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Mar 12, 2002, 5:20:09 PM3/12/02

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Wasabi powder is used by making a paste with water. The easiest way,
IMO, for small quantities is to put the wasabi powder in a shot glass
(somewhere between a teaspoonful and a tablespoonful, depending on
how much you want to make.) Add a few *drops* of water, and start
stirring using two chopsticks, held like a pestle. Add a bit more
water, drop by drop, until the mixture is wetted but not thinned.
You want the consistency of spackle or fudge, not jam or thinner.
Keep stirring, adding about as much pressure as you might with a
mortar and pestle -- the more you knead and stir, the more pungent
the result will be.

Let it sit for a short while before you use it, to let it mature
a bit, but don't let it get dried out -- I usually upend the shot
glass over a small plate.

I wouldn't count on it being real wasabi -- have you checked the
ingredients label?

Her Serene Highness

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Mar 12, 2002, 5:44:01 PM3/12/02

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"Trinker" <trinke...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:3C8E7F19...@yahoo.com...

Yes- and it claims to be the real thing. I haven't opened the container
yet.

Her Serene Highness

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Mar 12, 2002, 6:10:45 PM3/12/02

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"Trinker" <trinke...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:3C8E7F19...@yahoo.com...
>
>

From the tin:
"Wasabi is a uniquely Japanese spice. Genuine wasabi is mad by grating the
root of the wasabi plant. It has a light, fruity smell and a tingling
hotness that goes straight to the nose. A traditional condiment for sashimi
and sushi but easily adapted to any recipe calling for horseradish. Add a
few drops of water to create a paste like consistency.

contains: grated wasabi"
It says that it was "Packed Expressly for Takashimaya by Vanns Spices,
Baltimore, Maryland 21215".
It cost $8.50.
I just opened the container- the product is very fine and a creamy off-white
color, and smells completely unlike horseradish. It tastes like horse
radish- but fruity, as per the label. I know one thing- it might be a lot
of things, but horseradish it is not. Not unless someone has invented
horseradish with a hint of Chardonnay.

Heh- I think I lucked out. Yay for me.

pr3d4t0r

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Mar 12, 2002, 6:19:29 PM3/12/02

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Michele,

in case you're interested, you may purchase fresh wasabi from Pacific
Farms in Oregon. they grow it and ship you the plants or the paste
anywhere in the US. you may reach them at (800) 927-2248 or at
http://www.freshwasabi.com

also: have you read the Sushi Eating HOWTO?

check out http://lavender.cime.net/~ciurana/sushi-eating-HOWTO.html; if
the server is slashdotted (i'm hosting the Star Wars EP2 trailer there)
try the cached version at www.google.com, search with +ciurana +sushi

cheers,

pr3d4t0r
"Use simple tools and superior grey matter to
figure out what's wrong." -- Mattew Strebe

Her Serene Highness

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Mar 12, 2002, 6:21:44 PM3/12/02

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"pr3d4t0r" <no.spam...@bluemail.ch> wrote in message
news:MPG.16f82c231...@news.sf.sbcglobal.net...

> Michele,
>
> in case you're interested, you may purchase fresh wasabi from Pacific
> Farms in Oregon. they grow it and ship you the plants or the paste
> anywhere in the US. you may reach them at (800) 927-2248 or at
> http://www.freshwasabi.com
>
> also: have you read the Sushi Eating HOWTO?
>
> check out http://lavender.cime.net/~ciurana/sushi-eating-HOWTO.html; if
> the server is slashdotted (i'm hosting the Star Wars EP2 trailer there)
> try the cached version at www.google.com, search with +ciurana +sushi
>
> cheers,
>
> pr3d4t0r

I have indeed read the FAQ, but not for a bit. And yes, I've read the
how-to.
My apartment is hot and dry- I have a hard time keeping tropical plants
alive. Plus I don't eat sushi at home often enough to warrant buying a plant
that will probably die on me- although I might do so at some point.

Thanks for the info- I certainly appreciate it!

Trinker

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Mar 13, 2002, 3:08:10 AM3/13/02

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Her Serene Highness wrote:
>
> "Trinker" <trinke...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:3C8E7F19...@yahoo.com...

[...]

> > I wouldn't count on it being real wasabi -- have you checked the
> > ingredients label?
>
> From the tin:
> "Wasabi is a uniquely Japanese spice. Genuine wasabi is mad by grating the
> root of the wasabi plant. It has a light, fruity smell and a tingling
> hotness that goes straight to the nose. A traditional condiment for sashimi
> and sushi but easily adapted to any recipe calling for horseradish. Add a
> few drops of water to create a paste like consistency.
>
> contains: grated wasabi"
> It says that it was "Packed Expressly for Takashimaya by Vanns Spices,
> Baltimore, Maryland 21215".
> It cost $8.50.
> I just opened the container- the product is very fine and a creamy off-white
> color, and smells completely unlike horseradish. It tastes like horse
> radish- but fruity, as per the label. I know one thing- it might be a lot
> of things, but horseradish it is not. Not unless someone has invented
> horseradish with a hint of Chardonnay.
>
> Heh- I think I lucked out. Yay for me.

Cool! Let us know how it goes. And you might want to try tasting
it at various points in the process to see if there's an optimal
time to stop kneading/stirring, and whether you should let it sit,
or not.

pr3d4t0r

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Mar 13, 2002, 11:45:06 AM3/13/02

to

Michele,

in case you're interested, you may purchase fresh wasabi from Pacific
Farms in Oregon. they grow it and ship you the plants or the paste
anywhere in the US. you may reach them at (800) 927-2248 or at
http://www.freshwasabi.com

also: have you read the Sushi Eating HOWTO?

check out http://lavender.cime.net/~ciurana/sushi-eating-HOWTO.html; if
the server is slashdotted (i'm hosting the Star Wars EP2 trailer there)
try the cached version at www.google.com, search with +ciurana +sushi

cheers,

pr3d4t0r

re...@newsgroup.please

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Mar 15, 2002, 6:14:10 PM3/15/02

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On Tue, 12 Mar 2002 23:19:29 GMT, pr3d4t0r <no.spam...@bluemail.ch> wrote:

>check out http://lavender.cime.net/~ciurana/sushi-eating-HOWTO.html; if
>the server is slashdotted (i'm hosting the Star Wars EP2 trailer there)
>try the cached version at www.google.com, search with +ciurana +sushi

Use http://lavender.cime.net/~ciurana/sushi-eating-HOWTO.html (you did put a ;
in) ...

I ran into some hotshot Japanese businessmen the other week here in the Hague,
the Netherlands. They asked for a well known Japanese restaurant and I brought
them to a real sushi bar, just opened. Along the way we talked about sushi and
I said them I would like to taste real wasabi once. They told me even in Japan
they hardly get it ever served, being even expensive overthere ...

SharpBang

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Mar 15, 2002, 8:02:29 PM3/15/02

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I saw fresh wasabi at the Japanese market the other day and it was priced at
$99.99 per pound! That's more expensive than imported matsutake's in season. It
looks similar to fresh young gingerroot, but I wasn't about to shell-out $15
for a piece the size of my finger.

spam]@world.std.com Blair P. Houghton

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Mar 17, 2002, 12:31:53 AM3/17/02

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SharpBang <Shar...@mailandnews.com> wrote:
>I saw fresh wasabi at the Japanese market the other day and it was priced at
>$99.99 per pound! That's more expensive than imported matsutake's in season. It
>looks similar to fresh young gingerroot, but I wasn't about to shell-out $15
>for a piece the size of my finger.

I don't know if there's a non-sexuality-conflating way to say this, but:

Man, that's a big finger.

--Blair
"Do the math."