[Frizzled Horsetails]
The horsetail is a symbol of the spring in Japan. A little dish of horsetails makes everyone feel that spring has come at last after months of cold winter and that you took the toil of picking horsetails in the field. If everyone goes out to the field to pick horsetails together, it is another way of enjoying the spring.
The following recipe will make firizzled horsetails shared by 2 - 6 persons.
(A) Horsetails prepared
First of all pick horsetails as long as possible. The greatest toil in the whole process is to remove sheaths, the hard portions around joints, from each horsetail by fingers. Prepare sheath-removed horsetails full of a one-liter bowl. Wash horsetails in the water but don't wash too hard lest you should damage them.
(B) Hot water
| Salt | 1.5 tea spoon |
| Vinegar | 1.5 tea spoon |
Prepare one liter of boiling water. Add salt and of vinegar in order to remove harshness of horsetails.
(C) Boil horsetails
(1) Put horsetails (A) into the boiling water (B) on a middle strength fire.
(2) Boil for 30 seconds and stop the fire. Don't touch for 3 minutes.
(3) Pour out onto a net to drain the hot water.
(4) Put horsetails in the cold water for 2 minutes.
(5) Drain water and lightly squeeze horsetails lest they should break.
(D) Frizzle horsetails
| Sesame oil | 1 table spoon |
| Red pepper | Use only a small portion, 1 cm long, of a red pepper, broken into 2 to 3 pieces. |
| Sake | 1 table spoon |
| Sugar | 1.5 tea spoon |
| Soy sauce | 1.5 tea spoon |
(1) Heat a pan on a middle strength fire.
(2) Put a table spoon of sesame oil on the pan.
(3) Add red pepper.
(4) Add horsetails (C) and softly move them on the pan for 15 seconds.
(5) Add Sake and move horsetails for 5 seconds.
(6) Add sugar and sauce.
(7) Make the fire stronger and frizzle until water on the pan has vaporized.
(8) Put horsetails on dishes.