The horror! The Japan Centre no longer stocks my favourite wasabi rice crackers. Sob. I am quite bereft, and no amount of googling has turned up another supplier.
So, I've resorted to making my own eye watering snacks, which almost make up for the loss. Made with seasonal spring greens, these are packed with vitamins and only contain two teaspoons of oil, so I can graze on them through the day, guilt free.
The oven temperature for this may seem long and low, but persevere - think of it more as dehydrating than cooking. You're aiming for unsinged, crisp wafers, so plenty of patience is required.
WASABI GREEN CRISPS
150g spring greens or kale (weight after removing the tough central stalks) about 4 well-packed cups
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 tsp soy sauce
4 tsp powdered wasabi
1) Cut the spring greens into large crisps, about 5x8cm pieces, then wash and thoroughly dry them with a tea towel.
2) Toss the greens in a large bowl with the rest of the ingredients, except one teaspoon of the wasabi powder, then use your hands to make sure that all the leaves are evenly covered with the oil.
3) Spread out evenly in a large roasting tin and bake at 275f / 140c / gas mark 1 for about 90 minutes, stirring through every 20 minutes to ensure they all dry out evenly. Try to keep the leaves flat if possible, so they don't clump together. If they fold over each other you will find that some will not be as crisp as others.
4) When all the leaves are crisp and dried through, allow them to cool before tossing through the remaining wasabi powder, and store in an airtight box.
Sob...I simply cannot locate KALE here in France...is there a suitable substitue??...Any favoured "spring green" for you?...Just love your blog and began following it, with delight, today!
ReplyDeleteHmm, no kale eh? Well spring greens would definitely be my first choice as a reserve leaf, but if that's hard to get hold of then you could try getting creative with cauliflower leaves (trimmed of the hard stems), which I imagine would have the necessary firmness but perhaps less of the 'green' flavour that comes with kale.
DeleteYou could also try cavolo nero, sprouting broccoli leaves if you can find them, or even the outer leaves of large brussels sprouts, though they would be rather small after dehydrating. Or perhaps even a common or garden cabbage?
I've always wanted to try this technique with seaweed, and since I have a guided seaside forage coming up which should yield a good supply, I will give it a try and let you know if it works!
Let me know if you find a good alternative, and thanks for following!