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Powdered Wasabi

Wasabi – Powdered Spice

Origin: Japan

Wasabia japonica

Format: Powdered Wasabi Spice

What is Powdered Wasabi?

Powdered wasabi is a spice obtained from the rhizome of the wasabi, botanical name Wasabia japonica, a plant native to Japan where it has been cultivated for culinary purposes for centuries. Wasabia japonica belongs to the family of Brassicaceae (or Crucifers), it grows in high mountain streams, especially those with sedimentation resulting from centuries of work, and in the colder regions of Japan. The name translated from Japanese means “mountain rose”, but it is more commonly known as Japanese horseradish. Its taste is indeed very similar to that of horseradish and mustard, with a spiciness that, like mustard, hits the palate and the nose. The powdered form of wasabi is obtained from fresh wasabi, the horseradish root, and is generally used to prepare a wasabi paste, widely used in Japanese cuisine to accompany raw fish, sushi, and sashimi, but also to flavor soups and sauces like mayonnaise.

Origin and Production of Powdered Wasabi

Powdered wasabi is obtained from Japanese horseradish, a plant very similar to horseradish in chemical components and spiciness. The leaves of the wasabi plant are used, dried, and used to flavor dishes, as well as the rhizome, from which the ‘wasabi paste’ is obtained, now famous worldwide and also sold in tubes, like the more classic sauces and condiments. Fresh wasabi, however, is extremely rare to find, and most sauces you find on the market are prepared with the addition of mustard and horseradish. It is more common instead to prepare wasabi paste using pure powdered wasabi, which you can find for sale online at Terza Luna, since in addition to being difficult to find and very expensive, fresh wasabi root is also very difficult to store, and easily loses its flavor.

Fresh Wasabi: Why is it so Expensive?

Wasabi in rhizome form is extremely difficult to find and very expensive. Many wonder where to find wasabi, but in reality, it is extremely complicated, as the Wasabia japonica plant is very difficult to cultivate and grows slowly in very specific areas.

The cultivation of high-quality wasabi is increasingly difficult today, carried out by a few families in Japan. On one hand, due to the degradation of environmental pollution conditions, on the other hand, due to the few human resources available: fewer and fewer young people, in fact, choose to live in the inhospitable environment of the Japanese mountains.

It is also a product very prone to being counterfeited: even Japanese companies sell wasabi pastes made with other plants (Armoracia rusticana, or Armoracia Lapthifolia or Cholearia Arnoracia, mustard seeds, and FDA-approved colorants) to be able to sell them at affordable prices. This is the paste or powder that we can normally find on the market, in specialized stores, or supermarkets, light green in color. While the taste is very similar to real wasabi, this product contains fewer beneficial properties than the original wasabi.

This process of counterfeiting wasabi is so widespread that in Japan now they talk about wasabi and ‘hon-wasabi’, which means original wasabi. The price of pure wasabi in its fresh root form is about 70 euros for 100 grams! Powdered wasabi, pure, obtained from the wasabi root, is a valid alternative to the fresh root, and will allow you to prepare an excellent wasabi paste at home with quality ingredients, just like the original one!

Wasabi: Properties

Wasabi is considered a plant capable of providing significant health benefits and assisting in the fight against specific diseases. We can consider wasabi more as a medicine than a condiment as is the case with many spices or herbs. Wasabia japonica, like all plants in the brassicaceae or cruciferous family (broccoli, cabbage, mustard), among all edible vegetables, are probably those that contain the greatest variety of phytochemical molecules with anti-tumor properties. In addition to numerous polyphenols present in other protective foods. Cruciferous vegetables contain a high concentration of substances called glucosinolates. Glucosinolates, when chewed, come into contact with an enzyme called myrosinase which, in the presence of water, transforms glucosinolates into isothiocyanates. Isothiocyanates are molecules that contain an atom of sulfur, responsible for the characteristic odor produced by prolonged cooking of cabbage or tears when we eat mustard or wasabi. There are many studies that have demonstrated the anti-tumor and antibacterial power of isothiocyanates. Sulfur, on the other hand, significantly accelerates the elimination of potentially toxic substances from the body that could lead to cancer. Wasabia japonica is also rich in proteins, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and manganese.

Among the properties of powdered wasabi, we find:

   
• Anti-inflammatory effect. Indicated for asthma, allergies, rhinitis, eczema, inflammatory bowel disease, and Crohn’s disease.

   

• Antimicrobial effect. Indicated to combat: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus mutans (oral bacteria), and Helicobacter pylori (bacteria responsible for gastric ulcers and stomach cancer).

   

• Antiplatelet effect.

   

• Antitumor effect. Isothiocyanates inhibit enzymes that activate pre-tumor cells, turning them into tumor cells, block the cell cycle of cancer cells, and increase cellular apoptosis. This has been demonstrated in various types of cancer such as leukemia (Nakamura et al., 2001; Fimognari et al., 2004), breast cancer (Nomura et al., 2005), lung cancer (Kuang and Chen, 2004), and other types of cancer (Watanabe et al., 2003; Fimognari et al., 2005).

   

• Liver detoxifier.

   

• Combats osteoporosis.

Aroma and Flavor of Wasabi

From the rhizome of Wasabia japonica, a green-colored wasabi paste is obtained, with a pungent odor, a particularly spicy taste, and a balsamic aroma that can strongly stimulate the nasal septum and cause tears; this is why wasabi is also nicknamed namida, which means “tears”.

How to Use Wasabi Powder? Recipes and Pairings

Wasabi powder is a spice, and therefore a much more versatile ingredient than wasabi paste as it can be easily transformed and used in many recipes. Certainly, the main use of wasabi powder is in the preparation of wasabi paste, the famous sauce used to accompany sushi and sashimi and other fish as well as meat preparations. It is also suitable for adding to soups, dressings, mayonnaise, for an excellent wasabi mayonnaise, but also to dessert doughs, for a truly surprising taste!

Wasabi Paste

So, how do you make wasabi paste with wasabi powder? Before discussing how to prepare the paste, it is important to know how to store wasabi powder: it should always be stored in a glass jar if the storage is not very long, if we want to store the powder for a long time or if it is a hot period, like summer, it is better to store it in the freezer.

How to prepare wasabi paste?

Now that we know how to store wasabi, to make the paste we only need cold water, because the glucosinolates and plant enzymes are activated in the presence of water. We use cold water because the flavonoids and essential oils that give wasabi its properties are very volatile. This way, we better preserve its components and will have a much more intense flavor.

Once we have the wasabi powder and cold water, we need to mix one part of powder to two parts of water (1:2) and wait 15 minutes (during which the enzymatic reaction occurs).

Where to buy Wasabi Powder

Wasabi, where to buy it? Many people ask themselves this question, and indeed finding pure wasabi in its root form is rather complicated and expensive. On Terza Luna, you can find high-quality wasabi powder for sale online, a versatile spice to prepare your wasabi paste with the original recipe as tried in the best Japanese restaurants. Buy bulk wasabi powder to enrich your pantry and your dishes with an oriental product with a unique aroma.

Price

Wasabi is a product that can be very expensive and is prone to counterfeiting. On Terza Luna, you can find high-quality wasabi powder at an affordable price:

   
• 50g – €4.50

   

• 100g – €9.00

Ingredients of Terza Luna Wasabi Powder:

   
•    

  Wasabia japonica 15%

     

   

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  Japanese horseradish 85%

     

Unlike other wasabi powders on the market, our wasabi does not contain mustard, starch, or other aromatic herbs.

If you enjoyed Hataka Wasabi Powder, visit our section of Asian Spices!