Hot Wasabi!
One of our most popular dishes at Mr. P's is the Underground Tuna. Although it is not on the printed menu, we run it as a special almost every night. There is a lot to love about this dish, but what usually gets people talking is the wasabi. Night after night, our warnings about the extremely hot wasabi are not believed and with just one bite they become a believer!
So what is wasabi anyway? Wasabia Japonica is a plant grown primarily in Japan and it provides spicy yet sweet accompaniment to sushi, sashimi and noodles. The root is hand harvested (only) and finely grated into a paste with an oroshi, a sharkskin grater. The burning sensation of wasabi hits the nasal passages more so than the tongue. Unlike chili peppers, the "heat" is not oil based, so it is easily washed away with food or drink.
Wasabi is a natural anti-microbial agent, which made it beneficial to match with raw fish before modern standards of food preparation were in existence. Research has also shown that it has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties, so pile on as much as you can stand!
If you haven't experienced our wasabi, we invite you to give it a try and let us know if you think it's the hottest.
