Japanese cuisines are made with tasty yet interesting ingredients, and wasabi is one of them. To illustrate, it is the Japanese horseradish – it’s a root with a flavorful and strong flavor. It has hotness in the flavor and is widely used in sushi and Japanese noodles. In addition, it adds a prudent and nice scent to the flavor. Wasabi powder is the most easy-to-use form of wasabi, but it can be challenging to find. For this reason, we are sharing various wasabi powder substitutes that you can add to the Japanese recipes!
Wasabi Powder Substitutes
- Ginger Powder
Ginger is one of the easiest roots to find that are added to various recipes around the globe, irrespective of the cuisine. Similarly, ginger is widely used in Japanese cuisine and can be used to substitute wasabi powder since it has a sweeter aroma and spicy flavor. In addition to the fresh ginger, there are ginger powders available in the grocery stores, which is easier to use. The best thing about ginger powder is that it covers the bad smell of seafood or fish, and you can easily use the 1:1 substitution ratio.
- Horseradish
Horseradish is another great alternative to wasabi powder, but it’s recommended that you add dried horseradish to the dish. This is because wasabi is actually the Japanese horseradish, which makes these two roots extremely similar. However, horseradish’s flavor and aroma are not as complex as wasabi, but it will ensure that you can continue cooking your favorite meal. Also, you can use horseradish as much as you had to add wasabi powder (you can ground the dried horseradish to make the powder).
- Karashi
Karashi is quite similar to wasabi since they belong to the same family and have a strong flavor. It can be easily used in Japanese recipes. It has a yellow color, which means its appearance is different when compared to wasabi powder, hence changes in the recipe’s appearance. It has a pungent flavor and has become a popular condiment in Japanese cuisine, especially if you want to make meat bun, oden, or chashu. However, it is not available in powdered form, so you have to add it in fresh form.
- Mustard Powder
Mustard powder is the most easy-to-use and readily available substitute for wasabi powder. The mustard sauce is widely used as a seasoning or condiment in chicken, hamburgers, and hot dogs. However, it can be purchased in powdered form from grocery stores. Keep in mind that mustard powder has sugar and vinegar, which actually complement the Japanese flavors. However, if you don’t like the flavor of mustard, it’s recommended that you use some other alternative.
- Hot Daikon
Hot daikon is a widely used ingredient in Asian cuisine, and it’s quite easy to replace wasabi powder with hot daikon. It has a more pungent flavor, which is why you should add it in a lesser quantity to make sure it doesn’t overpower the flavor. In addition, hot daikon has a tender and sweet flavor with mild hotness. It can be easily used in noodles and vegetable-based dishes but make sure you remove water from the hot daikon before adding it to the recipe (you can simply grate the daikon and remove the water). In case you are concerned about the availability, it is easy to find in the grocery stores.
- Yuzu Powder
This is another Japanese item that can substitute for wasabi in recipes. Yuzu peppers are known for their alluring scent, and you can easily make powdered yuzu from the yuzu pepper’s skin. Yuzu powder has a fruity and salty flavor, which can be easily used in noodles, meat, soups, and sushi. You can add yuzu powder in equal amounts, especially if you want to make sashimi and steak.
- Carolina Reaper
For those who don’t know, Carolina reaper is one of the hottest peppers, which is why it can be used to replace the spicy and hot flavor of the wasabi powder. In addition to the spicy flavor, it has a fruity undertone, which is why you should not add too much. All in all, it can replace wasabi powder in sauces to make sure there is sufficient smokiness.