Fuki-miso / Japanese butterbur buds with miso

The bitter taste of early spring: fuki no to, Japanese butterbur buds, are paired with sweet miso. Great on plain steamed rice, with grilled vegetables, and more.

<Ingredients>

Handful (30-40 g) fuki no to Japanese butterbur buds
2 tbsp miso (Saikyo miso in photo)
1 tbsp sake + mirin
1/2-1 tsp oil


<Directions>
1.

Roughly chop fuki no to, and immediately saute.

2.

When fuki no to is coated with oil, remove from heat, add miso and sake + mirin, and mix well.
Return to heat, and continue mixing on low heat for a few minutes.

Serve as a topping or dip.

<Notes>

• Cut surfaces of fuki no to darken quickly as they are exposed to air; saute as quickly as possible.
• Sauteing in oil reduces the bitterness of fuki no to somewhat.
• Depending on the bitterness of fuki no to and the sweetness and saltiness of miso, adjust the amount of miso, sake and mirin.
• Other ways to reduce the bitterness of fuki no to include blanching and soaking in water (changing water once or twice) in advance, and adding brown sugar or honey.
• But don't forget, this is a dish to savor the bitterness and appreciate the season.
• Recipe for a little sweeter red miso version with walnuts is found here.