Mitsuba Japanese Parsley: How to Eat it and Cook With it
Mitsuba (三つ葉, literally “three leaves”) is a Japanese trefoil herb from the Apiaceae (carrot) family that closely resembles flat-leaf parsley. Its Latin name is cryptotaenia japonica and it is also known colloquially as wild Japanese parsley, stone parsley, honeywort, and white chervil.
Three main varieties of mitsuba are cultivated: ne-mitsuba, with a shorter and thicker stalk; kiri-mitsuba, with white stalks achieved by blocking sunlight; and the most commonly found variety, ito-mitsuba, with green leaves and leggy stems.
All parts of the mitsuba plant can be eaten, and it is most commonly used as a garnish. Leaves and stems can be chopped up and sprinkled over a variety of dishes.
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What part of mitsuba is edible?
All parts of the mitsuba plant are edible, although it is unusual to find roots or flowers featuring in recipes. It is more common to use the leaves and stems of the plant, most often as a raw garnish.
Is mitsuba a herb or a vegetable?
Mitsuba is a soft-leaf herb in the Apiaceae (carrot) family. It is related to parsley, celery, lovage, and chervil. Herbs in this family are all aromatic and fresh-tasting, with bright green leaves and a herbaceous flavor.
What does mitsuba taste like?
Mitsuba has a fresh, clean, green, and slightly bitter flavor. It tastes similar to flat-leaf parsley and celery leaf, with the delicacy of chervil. Some people also describe it as being similar to cilantro, and it is even occasionally compared to scallions, arugula, or watercress.
What mitsuba alternative can you use to get the same flavor?
The best alternative to mitsuba is generally to combine chervil, flat-leaf parsley, and celery leaf. Cilantro can also be used as an alternative. For some dishes where it is important to replicate the bitterness, arugula or watercress may be a better substitute.
What popular Japanese recipes use mitsuba?
The herb growing and recipe website Sher She Grows suggests sprinkling chopped mitsuba on rice dishes like katsudon, oyakodon and sushi, or adding it to tamagoyaki omelettes or in tempura batter.
The website We Love Japanese Food gives recipes for pasta with soy sauce and mitsuba, mitsuba and garlic tempura, and several chicken dishes with mitsuba.
Neco, a Japanese chef writing on her own food blog, uses mitsuba in a large variety of dishes, most frequently with steamed fish.
Umi Organic, an artisan ramen manufacturer in the USA, suggests adding mitsuba as a garnish to their recipe for Tsukune Miso Ramen.
How do you cook with mitsuba?
The most common way to cook with mitsuba is to chop the leaves and stems and use them as a garnish in osuimono (clear soups) or on top of chawanmushi (savory custard). It is usually eaten uncooked, but can also be used in stir-fries or blanched to release more flavor. As a soft-leaf herb, if it is heated at all, it should be cooked only for a very brief time, otherwise, it may turn unpleasantly bitter.
As well as for flavor, mitsuba is also used in cooking for symbolic reasons, as it is considered a good luck herb in Japan. You will often see mitsuba presented in dishes with a loose knot tied in the stem, standing for good luck in relationships.
When correctly stored or grown fresh, mitsuba can be used for a large number of popular dishes to provide flavor, nutrition, and health benefits.
How do you store mitsuba?
Mitsuba on the stem is best stored upright, with the cut ends in a glass of water, either in the door of the fridge or on the counter top.
Alternatively, wrap mitsuba leaves and stems loosely in a damp cloth and refrigerate.
It is best eaten fresh, but if the mitsuba is not going to be used within a few days, shred the leaves, place in a folded paper towel and freeze.
What is the nutritional value of mitsuba?
Mitsuba is rich in antioxidants, such as flavonoids and phenolic compounds, and contains bioactive compounds that possess anti-inflammatory properties. Among other nutrients, it is rich in potassium, calcium, vitamin C and carotene.
What are the health benefits of mitsuba?
Namiko Chen, Japanese author of Just One Cookbook, writes that mitsuba is used as a tonic in traditional Japanese medicine, to strengthen the body, reduce inflammation, and help control blood pressure.
Other health benefits commonly attributed to mitsuba are clear skin, symptomatic relief from colds or coughs, and promotion of healthy digestion.
The agricultural website gov.capital writes that mitsuba’s anti-inflammatory properties are beneficial against arthritis and asthma and its antioxidants reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.
How do you grow mitsuba?
Mitsuba can be grown in the garden or in window-ledge pots, from seeds sown directly in the soil, after the last frost. Like parsley, it prefers partial shade, and too much sun exposure will turn the leaves bitter and yellow.
The gardening website Garden Alchemy writes that mitsuba will tolerate most well-draining soil types, and prefers the soil to be moist, but not to have wet roots.
It is ready for harvesting approximately 50 days after sowing.
Is mitsuba a popular Japanese herb?
Of all the commonly used Japanese herbs, mitsuba is one of the most popular. The website Zojirushi claims it is one of the top three herbs in the country, along with shiso and negi.
The Gardening Knowhow website lists it as one of the 4 essential herbs in a Japanese herb garden.
What are the differences between mitsuba and minari?
Although they look superficially similar, minari is from a different plant family to mitsuba, and has a completely different taste, more like green pepper. Minari is more popular in Korea, whereas mitsuba is more popular in Japan.
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Caroline first opened the doors to her own apartment in Berlin to guests, which was soon sold out. She then became the head chef of Muse Berlin, Prenzlauer Berg, for eight years, renowned for “international comfort food.”