First of all, let me remind my Muslim brothers. Beware of Japanese food because a lot of them are non-halal. We don't want non-halal stuff to become part of our blood and flesh. They will darken our hearts. TESCO sushi in Malaysia however has been certified halal by Islamic Authority of Malaysia. I bought one Sushi set consists of Makizushi and Nigirizushi with different toppings. The seaweed taste delicious. However I don't like the Japanese 'sambal belacan', which they called it wasabi. Taste awful man... From far, it looks like green peppermint paste (Malay: sambal pudina). I just dipped my sushi on the wasabi paste and fed them into my mouth with my smiling face. Oooooooooooo.... I screamed like tarzan. It bites my tongue and I can feel the wasabi vapour irritates my nasal passage. Oh my God!! That's it! Awwal marra akhir marra (The first and the last).
Wasabi Chemistry
Wasabi is a member of cabbage family, Wasabia japonica. The flavour mainly comes from the chemical ingredient - methylthioheptyl isothiocyanate.
Chemical formula: CH3S(CH2)7NCS
It may also consist of other form of isothiocyanates. Is it poisonous? Don't worry because it is NOT isocyanate (isocyanate is highly toxic - I used in my Master's research). Furthermore isothiocyanates in wasabi are less than 0.5%. A few studies showed that it acts as microb inhibitor. Some claimed that it can neutralize poison in seafood. So think about it.
Want to Try Wasabi?
It is easy to condemn other people's dish. We simply don't like it because their food do not style the way we are used to and tastes different than our custom food. I do appreciate dishes and delicacy from other cultures as long as they are halal. Therefore I would say you should try it. But make it very thin. Me... I like to try it again.
.
