Nobiru no nuta / wild garlic in sweetened miso vinegar sauce

Also called nuta-ae or sumiso-ae, this is one of the standard ways to enjoy spicy nobiru wild garlic in spring. A small side dish with punchy taste and aroma that goes well with meals and drinks.

1/2 of recipe:
30 calories; 1.3 g protein; 0.3 g fat; 6.4 g carbohydrate; 4.4 g net carbs; 104 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 2.0 g fiber


<Ingredients>

Handful nobiru wild garlic (69 g in photo)

For nuta/sumiso dressing
1 tsp miso
2/3 tsp rice vinegar
2/3 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp dashi

<Directions>
1.

Mix all ingredients for nuta dressing.

Microwave for 15-20 seconds, and let cool (optional).

2.

Cut nobiru into 4-5 cm.

3.

Bring to boil plenty of water, and blanch noribu.
First put white ends into briskly boiling water, count to 10 or 15, then add green sections.

When green part becomes quite vivid (after a few seconds), immediately drain, and let cool.

4.

When cool (at least room temperature), squeeze out excess water, and place in a prep bowl.

Mix with dressing.

Ready to serve.  

<Notes>

• Nuta (nuta-ae) is a type of sumiso-ae [dishes with vinegar miso dressing], and often features a combination of green onion or chives and seafood (calamari, scallops, tuna; raw or lightly cooked). Wakame seaweed is often added. When made with only one type of ingredient, it is typically the vegetable, as above. For the dressing, sometimes karashi Japanese mustard is added.
• Ingredients of sumiso-ae  can be broader and do not necessarily include green onion type vegetables. 
• Nuta is said to be a shortened form of numata [swampy rice paddies]. The dish took the expression as its name because of the dressing's swampy look ... not a very charming story, but the dish is tasty ...
• Dashi in the above recipe is optional; I add it to reduce overall sodium content by not using more dressing.
• Microwaving the dressing is also optional. Cooking ingredients for the dressing results in a well-blended taste.