Komatsuna Surprise

Over at my garten, today, I was working on another project, mostly involving flowers, but then I noticed that the komatsuna that I had given up on a few weeks ago looked rather genki. A closer look revealed that these sturdy brassica plants were thriving in late winter, with a lot of new leaf growth happening inside the outer, larger leafs. I had removed the net that was supposed to protect against birds, and not watered them at all lately.

This is a very happy surprise as there is not much else to harvest in mid February (negi, daikon). These fresh leafy greens are a great source of calcium, and a joy with a sesame dressing. The smallest leaves were delicious, raw.

Risa and Kirk over at Savory Japan Vegetable Recipes, has more.

Komatsuna no ohitashi (stir fried mustard spinach)
As I describe in the ingredients section on the vegetable page, komatsuna is even healthier than spinach. The slightly bitter flavor and crunchy stalks hold up well to stir frying. Use minimal oil to quickly stir fry washed and roughly chopped komatsuna with 1 clove of garlic, salt, and red pepper to taste. As the komastuna gets hot, splash with sake and cover the skillet. This serves to quickly steam it, and to finish cooking without adding more oil. At the very end, add a few drops of sesame oil for flavor and a nice aroma. In the photo, it is served on antique imari.