Wasabi fish stir-fry

That blog I wrote about wasabi-flavored snacks got me to thinking about using wasabi in a recipe. I remember printing out a recipe from Better Homes and Gardens for wasabi-glazed white fish so I read it again. I couldn't use the recipe, unfortunately, because it called for wasabi powder and all I had at home was wasabi paste in a tube. So I ended up experimenting again, and we liked the result. Obviously, this is another un-recipe—measurements are not exact and the main ingredients are fish and vegetables which are readily available here and which we like so feel free to change them.

Just a few notes about this dish (as much for myself as for anyone who encounters this recipe):

• Wasabi's flavor dissipates when cooked. I used quite a lot yet both my husband and I could hardly taste it and I ended up serving more wasabi paste at the table. Maybe I should add more wasabi to the dish just before serving.

• I used dory, a very white fish, tender and flaky when cooked. When you first cook it in the sesame oil, make sure it's only half-cooked. I didn't and it almost fell apart when the dish was done—I practically overcooked it.

• I really wanted to use fresh mushrooms but our small neighborhood grocery didn't have any available the weekend I decided to do this. I tried looking for canned straw or oyster mushrooms but they were out of stock too and I was forced to use canned button mushrooms. Didn't quite have the flavor or texture I was imagining for the dish. I really need to find myself a mushroom supplier here since we love them so much.

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2 tbsp soy sauce
6 inches of wasabi paste, as squeezed from the tube
1/4 cup minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 kilo fish fillet, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup fresh Chinese / snow pea pods, tops removed
1 can button mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped green onions

1. Place the soy sauce, wasabi paste and minced ginger in a small bowl and mix well. (This looked more like ginger soaked in soy sauce than soy sauce with ginger.)

2. Heat the sesame oil in a wok. Add the fish and half of the soy sauce mixture. Toss until the fish is half-cooked. Set aside.

3. In the same wok, place the snow peas, mushrooms, green onions and the rest of the soy sauce mixture. Toss until the peas turn bright green. Add the fish. Continue tossing until cooked.