Wasabi [1] is the hot and stimulating green paste that lends a characteristic, pungent taste to sushi dishes, dressings and dipping sauces.

The wasabi plant, sometimes called Japanese horseradish, has long been used in Japan as an essential condiment for serving with raw fish sashimi and sushi dishes where it is valued for its protein digesting enzymes.

Choosing real wasabi
Wasabi is one of the most difficult plants to grow in the world, and thus one of the rarest. Semi-aquatic, it grows only in stream beds of those mountain river valleys where the water is really fresh.

Unlike many products in the Western world which are known under the name 'wasabi' but contain additives and green dyes, Clearspring Wasabi powder is made of only natural ingredients and contains real wasabi root.You can recognise its authenticity by its pale grey green colour, which contrasts with the brighter green of dyed wasabi.

Making Clearspring wasabi
To make, the fresh authentic wasabi root is harvested where it grows in the mountains of Japan, cut and freeze dried, and then ground into powder. It is then mixed together with mustard powder, formed from grinding a cake made of mustard oil, and ground up horseradish, which has been sliced and dried.

Wasabi and health
Researchers from Michigan State University, USA, have found that both horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) and wasabi (Wasabia japonica) have the ability to protect against the proliferation of certain types of cancer cells (1). Wasabi is also reputed to have strong antibacterial powers, and is often spread over the tops of lunchboxes in order to keep them fresh and stave off germs.

Cooking with wasabi
Clearspring Wasabi comes as a powder in a convenient resealable tin and can be prepared by adding 1 part warm water to 2 parts powder and mixing into a paste. Cover and leave for 5 minutes to allow the flavour to develop.

To incorporate in your sushi, pick up a small amount with your finger and spread on top of the sushi topping before placing on top of the ball of rice, or spread on top of the rice before rolling if using a sushi mat. Alternatively, mix into the soya sauce or make into a little ball and serve along side sashimi or sashimi to be mixed in at the diner's discretion. Always make fresh each time.

Ingredients: Horseradish, mustard, wasabi (10%)

Producer - Kaneku Company, Oume Tokyo

Available as powder in a 25g resealable tin

(1) Weil, MJ, Zhang Y, Nair MG, Tumor cell proliferation and cyclooxygenase inhibitory constituents in horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) and Wasabi (Wasabia japonica), J. Agric. Food Chem., 53 (5), 1440 -1444, (2005)