Mugwort Agar Agar - wild edible recipe ｜ 艾草大菜糕

Mugwort is one of my favourite wild edible greens.  It has a unique herby flavour that goes really well with dairy, and it's rich in Vitamin K.

During May to early June, mugwort grows abundantly along road sides or in parks.  I've been foraging this beautiful herb and drying them to use in later months.

Dried mugwort

To dry mugwort is simple.  All you need to do is give it a very good soak and rinse, and then spread them loosely on a baking tray or any flat surface to be air dried.  Avoid overlapping the mugwort, which is key because it will result in a moldy smell that certainly reflects in the food.

When the mugwort is completely dried, crumble it up by hand and remove as many hard stems or pieces as you can.  The finished product should be soft and fibrous.  Keep it in an air-tight jar at room temperature.

I heard some people use a dehydrator to dry mugwort, but I haven't tried it.  So I am not sure if both method are equivalent or if one is better than the other.  However, dried mugwort has a more intense flavour than the fresh one.

I used dried mugwort in the recipe below, but you're always welcome to use fresh mugwort instead.  They all are delicious.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you will enjoy this recipe.

Mugwort Agar Agar

艾草大菜糕

Ingredients:

5 gram Dired Mugwort

2 cups Water

8 gram Agar Agar Block

5 tablespoons Sugar

Milk (to serve)

Grapes (for decoration)

How to make:

1. Combine the mugwort and water in a small pot.  Bring it to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium-low.  Let it boil for 10 minutes and remove it from the heat.

From clockwise.

2. When the mixture cools slightly.  Blend it in a food processor until the mugwort is finely chopped.  Drain the juice through a tea strainer and discard the mugwort.

3. Pour the juice back to the pot.  Cut the agar agar into small pieces and add them to the pot, followed by sugar.  Bring the liquid to a boil and then simmer it on low heat until the agar agar is totally dissolved; stirring constantly.

4. Pour the mixture in a mould and allow it to cool slightly before transferring it to the fridge.  Chill the agar agar until it is set; about 15-20 minutes.  Serve with cream or milk, along with any fruits that are desired.

Elm Samara - wild edible in the city

                  Foraging sometimes doesn't need to be far.  

Slippery Elm is a type of ornamental tree that is commonly planted along road sides or in parks in the cities.  Starting from mid spring, elm trees will be loaded with clusters of samaras, the papery green fruits.

To harvest the samaras, you just need to gently hold down the branches and slide the fruits towards the end of the branch.  The papery fruits usually have a brown tip at the end.  If you bother to remove them for a better texture, just like I do, please go ahead.  Otherwise, they taste the same with or without the brown tips.

The papery looking skin has a texture similar to white potato skin.

Elm samaras can be eaten raw, and they taste like raw sweet peas.  I use them for salad a lot, since I can get them just outside my building.  On the way home from work, I usually get a handful of them to sprinkle on my creamy corn salad, that I name "April elm salad"

April Elm Salad

(Ingredients):

1 handful of Elm Samaras

1 cup Fresh Sweet Corn kernels

2 Crab Sticks

2 tablespoons Japanese Mayo

Salt to taste

How to make:

1. Rinse the elm samaras; remove the brown tips if you want.

2. Blanch crab sticks in boiling water for two minutes; drain.  Cut it into bite size.  Set aside.

3. Add the corn kernels in the boiling water and boil them until cooked; it's about 4-5 minutes.  Drain the corn well.

4. In a mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients including the elm samaras.  Season with salt.  Serve.

The young elm leaves are also edible raw and are delicious to add into sushi with other vegetables.

Elm Vegetarian Sushi

 

Ingredients:

1 pc Nori Sheet

1 bowl Cooked Rice, warm

A hand of elm samara and young leaves

Carrot, cut in long sticks

Japanese Mayonnaise

How to make:

1. On one end of the nori, add a half portion of rice.  Place carrot, elm, and mayonnaise on top of the rice.  Roll up the nori, then firmly squeeze to shape into a solid round roll.  Cut it into equal size pieces and serve.