May 22, 2017

Preparing Fuki (Butterbur Leaf Stalks)/ふきの下ごしらえ

My father picked up some fuki (butterbur leaf stalks).
父が、ふきを取ってきました。
Don't confuse fuki with fukinoto (butterbur flower stalks).
ふき(ふきの葉柄)とふきのとう(ふきの花茎)を混同しないでください。

First sprinkle some salt over them, and roll them on the cooking board.
まず、ふきに塩を振り、まな板で転がします。
Technique known as ita zuri (lit. board rubbing).
板ずりという技法です。

Then put them in a pot of boiling water and boil for 2 minutes or so.
次に沸騰水に入れ、2分程度茹でます。

Drain and soak in cold water.
お湯を切り、冷水に漬けます。
The next step is tiring and time-consuming: peeling.
次は、皮をむくという、疲れるし、手間のかかる作業です。

My parents did most of the work for me. They complained that the fuki were tough. I guess I should have boiled them much longer (10 minutes or more).
両親がこの作業の大半をやってくれました。ふきが固いと言われました。もっと長く(10分以上?)茹でるべきだったかも知れません。

2 comments:

9895039531 seeandoh said...

I checked for Butterbur in Google. Is it Centella Asiatica ? We call it Muthil here and the leaves are good for memory and soothes the nervous system. It is also called Penny wort.

Hiroyuki said...

seeandoh: Well, I don't think so. Check this out:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petasites_japonicus