Wasabi in restaurants

[Chef Fowke]

this past weekend I tried wasabi ice cream.....

once was enough.

NO!!!!

[beans]

Chef Fowke:

The next time I venture to my hometown of Sitka, Alaska, I *must* stop in Seattle (may need more time there than Sitka!) and then venture north to Vancouver! I need to visit your restaurant!!!!!

*sigh*

[torakris]

this past weekend I tried wasabi ice cream.....

once was enough.

NO!!!!

was it supposed to be good?

[Aquitaine]

I've been wanting to try fresh wasabi but have held off ordering from Pacific Farms... If anyone in New York City wants to split an order, PM me, please.

[Chef Fowke]

this past weekend I tried wasabi ice cream.....

once was enough.

NO!!!!

was it supposed to be good?

I cannot imagine the flavor. The wasabi ice cream has kept me up at nights thinking about it. I want to make some. Was it sweet? Any other Flavors?

[torakris]

this past weekend I tried wasabi ice cream.....

once was enough.

NO!!!!

was it supposed to be good?

I cannot imagine the flavor. The wasabi ice cream has kept me up at nights thinking about it. I want to make some. Was it sweet? Any other Flavors?

no it wasn't really sweet at all, I think thats why it bothered me, it just tasted like wasabi (though I am sure there was some sugar added). I think for me it was psychological, ice cream = sweet, I have a hard time with savory in what should be sweet. The wasabi level was perfect though, the nose pinching heat was mellowed by the cream but not to the point where its bite was lost.

They also had a take no sumi (bamboo "ink") flavor that was black. I never knew bamboo had ink and had no idea what it tasted like, but I couldn't get the image of ika no sumi (squid "ink"), which I love by the way, out of my mind. Maybe next time................

the one I finally ended up ordering was cassis (sp?) and it was wonderful! and sweet!

[Chef Fowke]

I could see a wasabi and grapefruit mix. I am going to use a simple syrup with a hint of vanilla pod as its base. Details will follow.

[jhlurie]

Being out in the sticks and never having had wasabi (but liking horseradish) I did a google and came up with Pacific Farms. I think I'll order some.

Edit: Oops. Maybe I won't. Went back to the site and noted the ingredients in their paste - "(Ingredients: wasabi, sucrose, modified food starch, less than 1/2 of 1% xanthan gum, phosphoric acid, potassium sorbate, certified color blue #5 and yellow #5.)" 

They do offer live plants for the garden though.

Yeah, but despite the extra things on that list, its not bad. Jinmyo certainly wouldn't touch it 'cause of the sugar, but I'm still thinking it beats horseradish for many things.

Mind you I LIKE horseradish better on others.

On another topic, Kris... Olive Oil Ice Cream. Done right its yum, and not at all what you expect.

Edited September 10, 2004 by Jason Perlow (log)

[torakris]

On another topic, Kris... Olive Oil Ice Cream.  Done right its yum, and not at all what you expect.

hhhmmmmmm.............

[Jason Perlow]

Yeah, but despite the extra things on that list, its not bad.  Jinmyo certainly wouldn't touch it 'cause of the sugar, but I'm still thinking it beats horseradish for many things.

Actually, this IS the stuff Jinmyo uses. She introduced me to it.

The other ingredients in it are really in trace amounts, they are used as a preservative and stabilizer. It keeps the wasabi paste staying fresh.

The tubes arrive with a cold pack, you gotta keep the stuff refrigerated or frozen.

[torakris]

a Japanese snack I have never tried:

http://www.sfu.ca/~dashton/food/food.html

wasabi-chocolate

[Toliver]

Very, very tasty! Makes it hard to use the powder when you have been spoiled with the fresh.

Having only had the powdered stuff before, what is the flavor of real wasabi? How does it taste compared to the green stuff we're so used to (which, to me, seems to have no taste but does provide a "kick")? Speaking of which, does it have the same "kick" as the pretend wasabi?

edit: added "to me"

Edited September 10, 2004 by Jason Perlow (log)

[torakris]

Very, very tasty! Makes it hard to use the powder when you have been spoiled with the fresh.

Having only had the powdered stuff before, what is the flavor of real wasabi? How does it taste compared to the green stuff we're so used to (which, to me, seems to have no taste but does provide a "kick")? Speaking of which, does it have the same "kick" as the pretend wasabi?

edit: added "to me"

the powdered stuff packs the biggest kick, but just kick no flavor, the tube stuff comes next with slightly less kick but more flavor and the big winner (of course) is the fresh stuff with incredible depth of flavor and more than enough kick to know you are eating wasabi.

Think about powdered ginger if you added water and made it into a paste would it taste anything like the real stuff?

[dscott]

has anyone ever tried wasabi caviar?

I saw it in a cookbook but had never heard of it before, it looks like caviar only it is light green.

What was the recipe? What kind of roe/caviar does one use?

[Chef Fowke]

I believe they use topiko (flying fish roe)

[Chef Fowke]

I just got back from Seattle and the 'wasabi lady' was not there! I really hope she was just taking a day off. Every time I go to Pike's market I pick up her beautiful fresh wasabi.

I am lost without a supplier...much like a junky! What will I do?

[mudbug]

Chef Fowke,

Sources for Fresh Wasabi (can't get any more fresh than the plant):

Pacific Farms

The Frogfarm

[Chef Fowke]

Thank you for the link. I am going to check it out next time I cross the border. I need to find out if it is legal to import live wasabi plants into Canada.

[torakris]

A food catalog that I regularly order from (in Japan) just started selling a new product,

wasabi cream cheese...............

hhmmmm........sounds good!

[KatieLoeb]

One preparation of oysters from our raw bar selection had a sort of Bloody Mary granita (tomato juice, touch of vodka and lots of fresh horseradish) spooned on top of the half shelled oysters. The effect of the really cold icy crunchy granita with the cool briny oyster was awesome. Lots of contrasts of texture, temperature and flavors all at once.

I was thinking that if one could produce a similar wasabi granita or sorbet and scoop it with a tiny little melon baller type gadget it would look like a beautiful cold little green pearl on a shelled oyster. Probably taste pretty damned good too. Am still trying to convince the oyster bar chef to give it a whirl.

[torakris]

The Sushi Yasuda thread

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=33561&hl=

got me thinking about this one again.

I have eaten a lot of sushi in Japan and find that most times there is an ideal amount of wasabi attached but occasionally there I run across a chef who puts on so much that I have a problem tasting the fish and once it was so bad I was starting to worry about brain damage.

Just last month I went out to lunch with egullet member Texan while her and her husband were visiting Japan, we had lunch at this sushi place that was quite good except that the majority of the pieces had a nose pinching amount of wasabi. We had all ordered sets (and 3 different sets at that)but it seems like they were all made by the same guy. The sushi was good though at at about $10 for 10 decent pieces plus soup you just can't complain.

Another time my husband I were in a pricey kaiten sushi place with 3 guys behind the counter you could tell that one of them was a little heavy on the wasabi because every now and then I had a piece that caused smoke to spurt from my nose.

[westside yuppie]

I'm definitely no sushi expert, but I never experienced the wasabi overkill during my visits to Japan. Usually you run in to the problem here in Vancouver when you are a fake sushi joint and they don't really know what they are doing or in less classy establishments when they are trying to feed the not so fresh fish to the dumb gaijin and masking any taste the fish may have with wasabi.

I do remember a couple of years ago my wife (who is japanese) took me for an amazing sushi meal in Tokyo at Midori Sushi, where the wasabi was used very sparingly and the flavour of the rice and the fish just burst in your mouth.

[gus_tatory]

wasabi overkill

hence, the sushi-bar name for wasabi = "namida", meaning tears

[meguroman]

You may want to attempt my strategy:

Here in Tokyo, whenever I'm at a sushi joint, I just say "sumimasan, wasabi betsu-betsu onegaishimasu". That means, roughly, please put the wasabi on a seperate dish.

I've never had a sushi chef be insulted by this. If anything, they feel complimented that I want to have their creations unadorned. And, of course, I get to be the blame for my own excesses of the green giant.

MM

[wesza]

Nice to see this thread back up.

anil, I am sure that many young Japanese might like lotsa wasabi. Like they like hot dogs. But the old folk like the taste of the fish, rice, and the subtleties therein. And surely most people would

taste the wasabi of the house before adjusting their usage of wasabi during the course of the meal

or else not be interested in what they were tasting. Otherwise, it's like salting your meal before tasting it.

My learning curve regarding "Wasabi" in Japan has taken many years.

I was fortunate enough to be a Foreigner who had many Japanese friends who were involved with many aspects of the food industry who were delighted to permit me the opportunity of become familiar with Japanese Cusine.

One of the most interesting aspects was that when it came to eating "Sushi" it was understood that respect was accorded to ones Chronological age, with the eldest or the one most experienced in eating at the various locations setting the pace.

When we were invited to observe the Japanese Wholesale Fish Market Auctions it was very special. Two of my assosciates Fathers were Traders and the whole process of buying fish was very unusual. Each Tuna had a section cut out of the tail area where the buyers interested in the fish would cut off a small piece to judge the color, oilness, density and other characteristics of each Tuna.

When that fish was Auctioned off the price was dependent on how each buyer felt about the fish, with prices quickly raising if a fish appeared of excellent quality. This bidding took place very quickly with little indication of the bidding discernable to anyone not familiar with the process. The Winners Tag was then placed on the fish. Prices for each Fish varied considerably.

After the Tuna Auction was completed we were invited to a Meal adjacent to the Market.

This was a special Sushi experience, as we were guests of two major Fish Traders. The one thing that impressed me was that every fish before being served was shown to our hosts, with small slices cut on a board for them to taste and approve before any fish was prepared for service of the guests. Several were returned and other fish brought for approval until the hosts were satisfied.

There was also a tasting of the Rice, Vinigar and Wasabi before the platters were assembled.

During this process they were nice enough to allow what was happening to be translated to me and one thing in particular remained with me every time i've eaten Sushi.

The Traders said that if your served Sushi and the Wasabi is either two generous or two strong that you should request a taste of the fish being served to ascertain it's freshness or quality as it's only supposed to compliment the fresh fish, not overwhelm it and that that is something often done when the Sushi Chef tries to serve fish after it been refrigerated or stayed longer then it should have.

This has served me well thru the years and anytime that i've requested a taste of the fish for this reason i've never regretted doing so, as the check has always been adjusted and treatment by the Sushi Chef has been improved but more important if anything is questionable he will suggest that we try something else.

Irwin