Cocktails with Wasabi paste
Wasabi paste is a pungent green condiment made by grinding the rhizome of Eutrema japonicum, a Brassicaceae plant.
Taste profile
Sharp, volatile nasal heat that strikes fast and clears quickly, over a faintly bitter, green vegetal note; genuine rhizome carries a sweeter, fresher aroma than the horseradish-based imitation.
How it's used
Whisked or stirred in trace amounts to add a burst of pungent heat and aroma, it works as a seasoning accent; freshly prepared paste is sharpest, and its heat is best added late so the volatile compounds are not lost.
Substitutes for Wasabi paste
Horseradish or hot mustard, both Brassicaceae isothiocyanate sources, reproduce the essential nasal heat — which is exactly how commercial imitation wasabi is made — but neither preserves the specific green, sweeter aroma of genuine Eutrema japonicum rhizome.
Often confused with
Horseradish (and horseradish-based imitation wasabi)
Genuine wasabi is the grated rhizome of Eutrema japonicum, whereas most paste sold as 'wasabi', especially outside Japan, is actually horseradish plus mustard and green colouring. They share pungency from isothiocyanates but differ in aroma and plant source.
