Fuki-miso, kurumi iri / Japanese butterbur buds with red miso and walnuts

A red version of fuki-miso. Walnuts add extra depth, texture and a mild flavor. This dish is aromatic rather than bitter. Great with plain rice or sake! A favorite of Tom's.

<Ingredients>

Handful (25-30 g) fuki no to Japanese butterbur buds
4-5 (10 g) walnuts
2 tbsp red miso
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp oil (not in photo)


<Directions>
1.

Boil walnuts for a few minutes until water turns brown.

Peel off skin of walnuts.

2.

Roughly chop walnuts.
Heat oil in frying pan, and coarsely chop fuki no to.

Immediately saute fuki no to.

3.

When fuki no to is coated with oil, remove from heat, add miso, and mix.

Add sugar, and mix.

Add walnuts, and mix.

4.

Put back on heat, and cook on medium low to low heat until well blended (a few minutes).

<Notes>

• Walnuts with darker skins turn the boiling water very brown (and darken your nails when peeling them!).
• Keeps for several days in the fridge.
• The strong taste works well with onigiri or omusubi rice balls. 
  
• Also great as dengaku miso (konnyaku yam cake and yakidofu broiled tofu in photo at right).
• Recipe for a white miso version is found here.

(Last updated: February 18, 2016)