Mitsuba

Chryptotaenia japonica

Mitsuba is sometimes referred to as Japanese parsley. For me, it is similar to Chinese celery but milder in terms of both taste and aroma, and having a slight bitterness. As the name implies, mitsuba has three leaves as well as leggy stems, which also have a distinctive aroma even after being cooked. It is mostly used raw as a garnish, just like parsley, and cooked just like any other leafy greens. It also functions as a handy string to tie packets such as kinchakuzushi and little stacked-up finger foods or appetizers. While mitsuba is eaten for its distinctive aroma (from such substances as cryptotaenene and mitsubaene – some disagree about these substances), it is also rich in Vitamin C (8-22 mg/100 g), carotene (730-3200 μg), calcium (25-52 mg), potassium (500-640 mg) and iron (0.3-1.8 mg). It is said to be beneficial for prevention of anemia, lifestyle diseases, beauty care (smooth skin), stress relief and to put you in a calm mood. Its season is winter, although it is available all year round at stores.

Depending on cultivation method and how it's sold, three types of mitsuba are commercially available. One is hydroponically cultivated ito-mitsuba [thread mitsuba] with particularly leggy stems. It comes with a small sponge for the root, and is probably the most widely available among the three types. The other two are ne-mitsuba [root mitsuba] and kiri-mitsuba [cut mitsuba], and they are both grown by blocking exposure to the sun, like white asparagus (for the stems) . (In terms of nutritional content listed above, ito-mitsuba is the highest in potassium and the lowest in other nutrients.)

Ito-mitsuba: 13 kcal/100 g; 94.6% water, 0.9% protein, 0.1% fat, 2.9% carbohydrate, 1.2% ash
Ne-mitsuba: 20 kcal/100 g; 92.7% water, 1.9% protein, 0.1% fat, 4.1% carbohydrate, 1.2% ash
Kiri-mitsuba: 18 kcal/100 g; 93.8% water, 1.0% protein, 0.1% fat, 4.0% carbohydrate, 1.1% ash

Recipes with mitsuba

• Kurumafu no katsudon / gluten cake cutlet rice bowl 
• Chawanmushi / steamed savory custard
• Kabu to satoimo no surinagashi / Japanese turnip and baby taro root potage soup
  
• Kaburamushi / steamed fish with grated Japanese turnip
• Mitsuba to kumiage-yuba no wasabijoyu-ae / mitsuba and fresh tofu skin dressed with wasabi soy sauce
• Matsutake to kinua no takikomi gohan / steamed rice with quinoa and matsutake 
• Shoga gohan / steamed rice with ginger 
• Nasu no yanagawa-fu / simmered eggplant and burdock root with egg 
• Hasumushi / steamed fish with grated lotus root, with light thickened sauce
• Tamago fuwafuwa / steamed egg soufle over broth
• Kinshi uri no tosazu-ae / spaghetti squash in bonito flake infused sweetened rice vinegar dressing
  
• Gobo to satsumaage, shimeji no donburi / burdock root, deep-fried fishcake and shimeji mushrooms over steamed rice
  
• Asari no sakamushi / steamed clams with sake
• Kani zosui / steamed rice with crab and egg in broth
• Moyashi to mitsuba no ohitashi / bean sprouts and mitsuba in light broth
• Kakitamajiru, mitsuba-iri / egg flower clear soup with mitsuba
• Kobashira, shiitake, mitsuba no kakiage / mixed tempura with bay scallops, shiitake mushrooms and mitsuba
• Kinokojiru (shoyu-jitate) / assorted mushroom soup (soy sauce flavor)
  
• Fuwafuwa tamago no osuimono, ebi to shantoreru iri / clear soup with fluffy eggs, prawns and chanterelle mushrooms
  
• Sakechazuke (dashi) / rice with grilled salted salmon in broth 
• Kamaboko, tofu, mitsuba no tamagotoji / fishcake, tofu and mitsuba in light broth with egg

Try mitsuba in the following recipes

• Koyadofu no ageyaki to renkon no horenso-an / fried freeze-dried tofu and lotus root with spinach dashi sauce
• Koyadofu-iri seri to koebi no chijimi / jijigmae Korean savory pancake with freeze-dried tofu, water dropwort and bay shrimp
• Kumiage-yuba to kani no ankakedon / fresh tofu skin and crab sauce over steamed rice
• Tonyu miso nikomi udon / hot-pot udon wheat noodles in red miso and soy milk broth 
• Kuzukiri to daikon, kani no sarada / kudzu arrowroot starch noodle, daikon radish and crabmeat salad, with citrus-flavored soy sauce dressing
  
• Kankoku mitsuba no shiraae / cham namul with tofu dressing
  
• Horenso, moyashi, sumookusaamon no ohitashi / spinach, mung bean sprouts and smoked salmon marinated in light broth
  
• Nira to koebi no chijimi / jijigmae Korean savory pancake with garlic chives and bay shrimp
• Tentojidon / tempura simmered in broth and egg on rice 
• Chirashizushi / sushi with assorted ingredients and julienned egg crepe
• Sakana no tochimushi / steamed fish with douchi black beans
• Hotate no mazegohan / steamed rice mixed with scallops
• Unagi no mushizushi / steamed sushi with grilled eel

(Last updated: January 9, 2019)