Substitute for wasabi paste?

[GB]

Originally Posted by DramaQueen

Wasabi is Japanese horseradish. It is made by combining wasabi root, horseradish, mustard and food coloring. Wasabi is very expensive so many sushi bars make their own with grated horseradish, ground mustard seeds, and food coloring, leaving out the actual wasabi root.
I can barely taste the difference so using horseradish along with mustard seeds would give you the same taste. Who would know the difference?

I think you are confused DQ. Real wasabi is a root. It is not combined with food coloring or anything else. It is grated and used as is.

[kitchenelf]

DQ - I would venture to say that most places mix using the powder form as the consistency is so uniform.

We don't normally see ANY real wasabi here - very rarely anyway.

[sparrowgrass]

My local Walmart has wasabi paste, in the Asian food section.

[ironchef]

It's not really a substitute per se, but Colman's mustard can be used in some applications that call for wasabi. Ratio is 1 part Colman's to 1/2 part water to 1/2 part soy sauce. That's the "soy mustard" that you see on a lot of Asian fusion menus like Roy's (i.e. Blackened Ahi with Soy Mustard Butter), or what you're given in Chinese restaurants. Add more soy sauce if you want it thinner or less hot, or don't add the soy if you want just the mustard base.

[Jeekinz]

The recipe would have called for fresh wasabi or wasabi root.

If you can't find the green wasabi paste, any of the suggestions or combinations would give you the heat you're after.

[Jeekinz]

.....you could also go to your nearest sushi bar and politely ask for some for a recipe.

[DramaQueen]

Originally Posted by GB

I think you are confused DQ. Real wasabi is a root. It is not combined with food coloring or anything else. It is grated and used as is.

Confused?? I don't think so. Did I say Wasabi was NOT a root? I don' t think so. My cookbooks state that true wasabi which is green in itself, is often paired with green food coloring to give it a more appealing color. BTW, Cold Stone Creamery sold wasabi ice cream here in Michigan on a trial basis. I bought a cone and I loved it. When I went back a couple of days later, they had discontinued it because they said only one person bought it. I guess that was me.
Read on:



[edit] Uses


Fresh wasabi root for sale at Nishiki Market in Kyoto


Wasabi is generally sold either in the form of a root (real wasabi), which must be very finely grated before use, or as a ready-to-use paste (horseradish, mustard and food coloring), usually in tubes approximately the size and shape of travel toothpaste tubes. Once the paste is prepared it should remain covered until served to protect the flavor from evaporation. For this reason, sushi chefs usually put the wasabi between the fish and the rice.
Fresh leaves of wasabi can also be eaten and have some of the hot flavor of wasabi roots. They can be eaten as wasabi salad by pickling overnight with a salt-and-vinegar-based dressing, or by quickly boiling them with a little soy sauce. Additionally, the leaves can be battered and deep-fried into chips.
The burning sensations it can induce are short-lived compared to the effects of chili peppers, especially when water is used to remove the spicy flavor.
Wasabi is often served with sushi or sashimi, usually accompanied with soy sauce. The two are sometimes mixed to form a single dipping sauce known as Wasabi-joyu. Legumes (or peas) may be roasted or fried, then coated with a wasabi-like mixture (usually an imitation); these are then eaten as an eye-watering "in the hand" snack.
Wasabi ice cream is a recent but increasingly popular innovation.
Recent studies have also shown that wasabi contains a natural chemical that can be used against certain cancer cells. This unique root vegetable can also be used for oral hygiene and infections. It has been suggested that Wasabi can help prevent cardiovascular diseases like stroke, heart attack, and hypertension. The health benefits are many. This root can help with diarrhea, osteoporosis, asthma, arthritis, and allergies as well.[1]

Wasabi and imitations


A tube of imitation wasabi


Almost all sushi bars in America and Japan serve imitation (seiyō) wasabi (see Etymology section, below) because authentic wasabi is usually expensive, but it is becoming widely available even in the United States. Wasabi loses much of its flavor if exposed to air for even a short time, so genuine powdered wasabi, while it does exist, typically contains horseradish and other ingredients to approximate the nasal spiciness of fresh wasabi. Because of this, most powders use no real wasabi and instead turn to just horseradish, mustard seed, and green food coloring (sometimes Spirulina). Whether real or imitation, the powder is mixed with an equal amount of water to make a paste. Few people, even in Japan, realize that most of the wasabi that they consume is in fact an imitation. While not considered equal with the freshly grated product, preserved wasabi is available in tubes and, in larger quantity, frozen bags. Like powder, tubed wasabi often contains no real wasabi at all, so verification of the ingredients is needed.
To distinguish between the true variety of wasabi and the imitation product, real wasabi is known in Japan as hon-wasabi (本山葵), meaning original or true wasabi. Local Sushi chefs usually substitute horseradish in Japanese restaurants.

[GB]

Originally Posted by DramaQueen

Confused?? I don't think so. Did I say Wasabi was NOT a root?

I was referring this this...

Originally Posted by DramaQueen

It is made by combining wasabi root, horseradish, mustard and food coloring

Wasabi is a root. It is not made by combining anything. It grows in the ground and is grated for use. If someone wants to add food coloring then that is fine, but that is not how wasabi is "made".