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Wasabi Powder – from The Wasabi Company

Salmon nigiri sushi

As you know, I love making a sushi feast at home whenever we have a spare weekend (Sushi Saturday!). And an important part of sushi is wasabi.

A while ago I tried real wasabi from The Wasabi Company. They grow wasabi here in the UK, and you can buy fresh rhizomes from their website. The wasabi paste in a tube that I usually use is completely fake and doesn’t contain any real wasabi – it’s made from horseradish and food colouring. Real wasabi has a very different flavour – it’s subtle and more fragrant, and it’s not just about the heat.

I really enjoyed the fresh wasabi but, like any fresh ingredient, it doesn’t last, so is more an ingredient for special occasions. But now The Wasabi Company has a product for everyday Sushi Saturday: wasabi powder!

So I bought a jar to try it out…

 

wasabi-powder

Wasabi powder

The powder’s made of freeze-dried wasabi grown in the UK by The Wasabi Company. It does also contain horseradish, mustard and wasabi leaf, but the wasabi content is 20% – a considerable amount more than standard wasabi pastes.

You mix one part powder with one part water – for two people I’ve been using 1-2 teaspoonfuls, but it depends how much wasabi you like! Just like fresh wasabi, the flavour fades after about 20 minutes, so I’ve tended to have a pot of wasabi on the side, rather than spreading it inside the sushi rolls, which can take longer than 20 minutes to prepare!

Wasabi powder

When I first opened the jar I must admit I was unsure, because the powder doesn’t really smell like wasabi. However, the smell and flavour develop after it’s mixed with water. It definitely has the taste of real wasabi, which is much more delicate than fake wasabi paste. It also doesn’t contain any added salt, so it tastes a lot more clean and pure. If you enjoy the authentic taste of fresh wasabi, this is definitely the answer for everyday sushi-making.

Wasabi powder

I’ve used it several times and there’s enough in the jar to last a long time, making it very good value. A 20g jar is £4.45, so really it’s a very similar price to wasabi in a tube, and a much higher quality product. It lasts for a long time, so is perfect to keep in the cupboard for whenever you need it.

You can get the powder, and fresh wasabi rhizomes, from The Wasabi Company’s online shop.

 

How to Make Sushi Comic Recipe BookLearn to make sushi at home!

Feast on sushi at home whenever you want to, with my How to Make Sushi comic book! The whole recipe is in comic book style – as well as being very cute, it shows you step-by-step how to make monomaki sushi rolls, nigiri, larger futomaki rolls, edamame and gyoza.

You can use either fish or vegetables, so it’s also suitable for vegetarians (I’m vegetarian myself!). You can get the book from my online shop, in a set with a rolling mat and two pairs of chopsticks (it also makes a great gift!).

 

What’s fresh wasabi like?

Want to know what fresh wasabi’s like? Watch my video about fresh wasabi from The Wasabi Company: (and if you like Japan, subscribe to my YouTube channel for lots of videos from Tokyo!)