Kuwai

Kuwai

What it is

It sits on the New Year table because of a pun: the corm throws up one fat sprout, and me ga deru, to sprout, is also the phrase for getting ahead in life. Break that sprout and the vegetable loses its whole point, which is why it is sold with the shoot carefully protected and why a snapped one fetches a fraction of the price.

In the kitchen

Peel the corm into six flat faces up to the sprout, leaving three centimetres of shoot standing, then soak it in water with rice bran or a little vinegar to draw out the bitterness. Simmer it in dashi, sugar and light soy at a bare tremble: a real boil knocks the sprout off.

Goes with

Kombu Katsuobushi (dried bonito) Hon-mirin Soy sauce White sugar Yuzu

In season alongside

Acorn Brussels sprout Camus de Bretagne artichoke Saffron milk cap Bagnoli truffle Belon flat oyster

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