My new found friend!

WASABI! I used to write about different foods and recipes. Believe it or not, I have other interests then just children. Food. Every different culture I love to cook or learn if I haven't! Some of our children love hot spices and one of my main ingredients in anything is garlic. I suspect that's why we're mostly a healthy family. A few years ago I started making Sushi. Our children love Sushi especially with my homemade candied salmon and avocado! A main ingredient for Sushi is Wasabi. It's like a horseradish paste you either put into your sushi rolls or mix it into your soy sauce. Well....it's a paste that has been surfacing into my cooking a lot more! Wasabi makes a great sauce to cook chicken, pork and beef in. Wasabi can also be poured over popcorn! Wasabi mayonnaise is completely easy, 2 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tsp wasabi paste or to taste! This can just be a dip for chips, dip your sushi, dip practically anything! Wasabi mayonnaise would be great baked on Salmon. The history around wasabi is it can be grown in the ground but commonly it's cultivated in water. When wasabi plants grow with green leaves on the head, the rhizomes grow above the roots and the plant is ready for harvesting. Although it's more convenient and cheaper to use wasabi substitutes such as the wasabi powder (western horseradish) powder, mustard powder and food colorings. I've learned that wasabi has been around hundreds of years, discovered by a farmer that wanted to start growing it. It's very hard to grow. One story about wasabi is they used to pickle the stems and roots. It was the most popular condiment in Japan. Another product that we buy and add to our children's lunches is wasabi peas. They love them! Wasabi peas are dried peas with wasabi. There is a company in Japan that is exploring that wasabi kills bacteria in food, therefore if it kills bacteria in food, it must in the mouth! If that's the case, it could be possible it will fight cavities. I wonder if our children would like the wasabi toothpaste? Wasabi has also health benefits that interfere with the steps of cancer growth and it interferes with the certain bacteria that grows on our foods. Although with saying this, it has to be the real wasabi and not made with our Western horseradish. I love learning about food, I love cooking different foods and our palate was designed for the sense of taste! To make wasabi sauce that you can cook almost anything in, you mix 1/4 wasabi powder, 1/4 rice vinegar, 1 tbs Dijon mustard, 1/4 vegetable oil and salt. Use a beater until it forms a thickened sauce. Cook over chicken, pork, beef or fish. Now for wasabi potato salad, all you have to do is make the wasabi mayonnaise and add. I'm wondering now if anyone is interested in coming for dinner? Last night I prepared ribs cooked in a wasabi sauce, it was delicious! What I always say, "Don't knock it until you try it!" I bet you're wondering on how to make wasabi popcorn? Well......I sometimes make garlic butter and pour over the popcorn, our children love it! It's as simple as that! Melt the butter, add the wasabi to taste, mix and pour over your popcorn. Experiment, your taste buds will love you!