Warabi no tataki (miso aji) / savory bracken paste (miso version)

An earthy and softly bitter taste with the minty sensation of spring. This simple little dish is treasured by grownups as a companion for their drinks or as a topping for steamed rice. Try this with just-harvested warabi bracken to experience the best taste and aroma of the wild plant.

11 calories (1/2 of recipe); 0.8 g protein; 0.2 g fat; 1.6 g carbohydrate; 0.7 g net carbs; 103 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 0.9 g fiber


<Ingredients>

50 g prep-boiled warabi bracken (ideally, harvested on the same day)
1 tsp miso
Small amount of sansho powder (or 1-2 kinome sansho leaves, chopped)

<Directions>
1.

Boil prepped warabi for 1-2 minutes until somewhat soft.

Drain, and let cool.

2.

Chop finely.

Add miso, and continue chopping until almost paste.

Add sansho powder, and blend well.

Ready to serve.  

(Served on steamed rice.)

<Notes>

• Warabi harvested (and prep-boiled) that day gives the most distinctive results. From the second day of harvest, both the taste and aroma of warabi quickly softens.
• Use fresh kinome sansho leaves if available. This will take the warabi paste to the next level.
• As a food term, tataki means a dish whose main ingredient is either finely chopped (fish/sansai wild vegetables) or seared (red-fleshed fish or meat).
• Instead of finely chopping, warabi can be ground in a suribachi mortar or food processor, or smashed in a plastic bag with a rolling pin.
• Other than miso, watabi no tataki often is flavored with soy sauce (and ginger, karashi, warabi, rice vinegar or citrus juice), which also makes it suitable as a topping for soba noodles.