Early spring brings the anticipation of sansai — edible wild plants. Two popular sansai to look out for in stores are nanohana (flower buds of the rapeseed plant) and udo (Japanese spikenard).
Related to broccoli, nanohana has a slight bitterness that is typical of spring vegetables, but that flavor turns into sweetness when blanched. It is wonderful when eaten simply with a little soy sauce or mirin, mixed into miso soup or added to a stir-fry. Its tight unopened buds with tender leaves is one of the quintessential signs of spring. In Japanese poetry, nanohana is also a kigo (a word symbolizing a particular season) associated with spring.
Less colorful than nanohana, the young shoots of udo are eaten like white asparagus. The shoots, which grow underground and have yet to penetrate the soil when harvested, also have a crunchy texture and a slightly bitter taste that dissipates when treated with vinegar and blanched.
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