Fuki Japanese butterbur prep boiling

1.

Wash fuki and cut in a length that will fit in a pot.

2.

Sprinkle salt, 1 tbsp or so.

Roll fuki back and forth against the cutting board with hands.


This brightens color, reduces the harsh taste and makes it easy to remove skin.

3.

Put fuki into boiling water and cook until slightly soft (approximately 30 seconds to a few minutes depending on diameter).

4.

Remove from pot and put in cold water to stop cooking further. 

If fuki is not freshly harvested, soak in cold water for some time to reduce bitterness.

5.

Remove skin.
Insert your fingernail right inside of skin at one end, and peel off.

Keep skinned fuki in water to prevent color deterioration.

6.

Cut into desired length.

<Notes>

• Technique No. 2 (itazuri) above is also used with cucumber, and brightens the color and eliminates the prickles on cucumber surface.
• Keep blanched fuki in water and refrigerated if not using immediately. However, flavor will be lost if kept in water too long.

• If you have fuki leaves, blanch them first, then boil stems. This gives a brighter green hue to the stems, even if only slightly.
• Blanched leaves (cool in ice water to stop cooking and prevent discoloration) can be used as a wrapper as is, and to wrap other ingredients for steaming or grilling. They can also be chopped up and used in a similar way as fuki no to buds for such dishes as fuki miso.

(Last updated: May 27, 2015)