I am pretty fascinated by the horseradish family of foods, because I like the punch they give you. It adds a wonderful heated kick to Raw Foods. Wasabi has a very hot-sweet pungency to it, felt in the nasal passages. Unlike chili peppers, wasabi is not oil-based, so the exciting pain is short lived, with maybe just a few tears from the corner of your eyes.
Wasabi is a fussy little plant and needs to be worried over like a small child. Wasabi requires a flooded gravel bed with constant spring water, cool but not too cool, shade but not too much shade, and a constant mild climate with delicate rain fall. I’m thinking, best to leave this fine art of cultivation to the Japanese who have been growing this aquatic root since time began.
A natural raw super food, wasabi has cancer prevention properties and a multitude of health benefits, both short and long term. With the secret out, the market for wasabi has expanded. Since 1991 New Zealand has become one of the few places to also create the perfect conditions needed to grow this fuss budget worth the effort. New Zealand has the lowest pollution load in the world (I am already thinking ‘vacation’). If you want to go deep wasabi, you may want to check out ‘World Wasabi’, the number one supplier of 100% pure wasabi products that are 100% organically water grown. They sell Namida, a 100% pure wasabi powder that’s the real thing. They are also looking for a minimum of 6 new growers anywhere in the world for 2014. In the present economy this may look like an interesting challenge with growth possibilities, if you can pay close attention to detail. Or you may want to sign up for our next ‘Certified Raw Food Chef Class’ and go into business selling Raw Wasabi Crackers. The possibilities are endless: raw wasabi dips, raw wasabi dehydrated chips, raw wasabi mayonnaise…….because in the raw diet we don’t have to hold the mayo, its guilt free, plant-based, healthy….you can load up on it. Heres a great recipe for this easy mayo.
Raw Wasabi Mayo Recipe
- ½ cup raw pine nuts, soaked for 8 hours and drained
- ¼ cup filtered water
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon wasabi powder
- a pinch of sea salt
In a high speed blender, combine all the above and process until it’s a mayonnaise like consistency. Use immediately or store in a glass jar in fridge for up to five days.
Note: Wasabi can also be found in your local Asian market. If you can find wasabi powder whose package label lists it’s only ingredient as “Japanese horseradish”, you’re in luck. It’s not as potent as 100% organic wasabi but it will do in a pinch.