Wasabi Leaf Parcels
If you are health nut you will love these green wasabi leaf parcels with fermented pumpkin seeds. Combining two of the most healthy foods: fresh greens and natural probiotic these green parcels make a perfect wholesome nutritious meal. If you struggle to find fresh wasabi leaves you can use spinach, wild garlic, perilla, shiso, large nasturtium leaves or foraged common plantain leaves.
Prep time: 25 minutes
Fermentation time: 12-24 hours
Makes 10 Parcels
Ingredients
For the pumpkin cheese filling:
70g pumpkin seeds - soaked for 8 hours
50g water
1/4 tsp salt
5g nutritional yeasts
1/4 tsp onion powder
few fresh basil leaves
few sprigs of fresh coriander
1/2 vegan probiotic capsule or one tsp of brine from any lacto-fermented veggies
40g pine nuts
1/2 spring onion (green part)
For the wrapping:
10 fresh large wasabi leaves (or spinach, wild garlic, perilla, shiso, large nasturtium leaves or common plantain leaves)
10 fresh wasabi flowers (or other other edible flowers)
Method
You will need a cheese cloth or muslin, a food processor
Start by making the fermented cheesy filling. Blend soaked pumpkin seeds with water, salt, yeasts and onion powder until almost smooth (the texture should be a little bit grainy so don't blend it perfectly smooth). Add powder from half a probiotic capsule or fermented vegetable brine, basil and coriander leaves and blend for 10 more seconds.
Place a few layers of clean cotton cloth on the large strainer, place the strainer over the bowl and spoon the mixture on the cloth. Wrap the cheese in the cloth and place small plate on the top to press it slightly. Leave the strainer with cheese at room temperature (20-25C) for 24 hours or in a warmer place for 8-12 hours (I put mine in a dehydrator at 40 C for 4 hours to kick start the fermentation process and then left it in room temperature for another 8 hours).
When the cheese is fermented, add ground pine nuts and chopped spring onion and mix all together.
To stuff wasabi leaves with the filling first form the cone from the leaf, put 1 heaped teaspoon of filling in the middle and fold the edges to shape a kind of pyramid.
Chill in the fridge before serving. Decorate with wasabi flowers.
Nutrition
Green leaves are source of chlorophyll, vitamin C, K and beta caroten. Fermented pumpkin seeds are a great saurce of zinc, magnesium, manganese, copper and probiotic bacteria.
