Makomotake with Yuzu Kosho Mayonnaise
We came across makomotake まこもたけ at our local vegetable shop recently. This is from Shonai in Yamagata 山形県庄内産 which is where my mother's family is from. On first appearance it looks like long, skinny corn as it is covered in long green leaves. After peeling the harder outer green leaves inside is a tender stalk.
The packet advertises it as "shaki shaki shokkan" シャキシャキ食感 - with a crunchy texture. This grabbed my attention and so I picked it up.
Here's what it looked like out of the package. Reminded me of my junior high school days walking the corn fields in Minnesota. These looked like baby corn on the top of the tall stalks.
I peeled off the outer hard layers. The inside was a dense stalk.
Different recipes online show that it can be cooked in a variety of methods. Pickled, stir-fried, deep-fried, steamed, or blanched in hot water and dressed in a sauce. I cut it into thin strips, blanched it, then dressed it with a simple yuzu kosho mayonnaise. The taste and texture reminded me of baby bamboo shoots. Next time I'd love to try this as tempura or pickled. Unfortunately it's hard to find at the market so here's hoping there's a next time.
