This Mustard Wasabi Rub Will Open Your Nostrils

A fantastic balance of spicy, sweet, salty and savory flavors

Hate to burst your Japanese bubble, but most of the “wasabi” served in Japanese restaurants in North America is grated horseradish dyed green and mixed with mustard powder and cornstarch. Womp-womp. It still tastes good! It’s just that real green wasabi is hard to cultivate outside of Japan, so western horseradish, which is closely related, pinch hits in most restaurants. The wasabi powder you find in American grocery stores is similar: It’s a mix of horseradish, mustard powder, and maybe a little real wasabi powder. That’s why it’s pale green instead of bright green, as in the photo here.

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Mustard Wasabi Rub

Author: Meathead

3 from 16 votes

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With wasabi powder, mustard powder, ginger, cayenne, and black pepper, this rub will open up your nostrils. Best with fish, shellfish, chicken, turkey, pork, and vegetables.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Servings: 144 1/4-teaspoon servings

Course: Rub, Sauces and Condiments

Cuisine: Japanese

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients Method Approximate Nutrition Notes

Makes

About 3/4 cup

Ingredients

  

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• 2 tablespoons ground mustard
• 2 tablespoons wasabi powder
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons Morton Coarse Kosher Salt
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Method

 

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1. Prep. Mix everything together.
2. Store. Keep the rub in a tightly closed container for up to 1 month.

Notes

About the salt. Remember, kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much. Click here to read more about salt and how it works.

Approximate Nutrition

Calories: 2kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 97mgPotassium: 3mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 3IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 2mgIron: 1mg

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This recipe was reprinted with permission from Fire It Up: More Than 400 Recipes For Grilling Everything by Andrew Schloss and David Joachim (Chronicle Book, 2011).