Yes, ferns are edible. Well, some of them are.

Japanese people used to forage for wile mushrooms and plants in the good ol' days. Now, with too many people living too far away from the mountains, there are packages of pre-poached wild plants available at supermarkets. Some of them are mixtures: several different kinds of ferns, baby bamboo shoots and some mushrooms. Others are single-species, the most common of this being the royal ferns ("zenmai" in Japanese).

Koreans also make use of the royal ferns for their tasty namul (variously seasoned vegetables). So, it shouldn't have been such a surprise to find a package of pre-poached zenmai in the refrigerated section of the H Mart, but I was surprised when I did. It was a delightful surprise, though, because I love zenmai with fried tofu. I picked one up, and went home, already tasting the (imaginary) taste of this traditional Japanese dish.

When we were still in Japan, my mom sometimes got a big bunch of zenmai from her friends with connections with people in the country, most likely their aging parents or their siblings who stayed in the rural hometown. When she did, she would boil the stems of zenmai in water with baking soda to wash out the harsh, tongue-biting flavor. Then she'd dry them, occasionally rolling them under her palms to tenderize them. When she needs the zenmai later, she'd just have to rehydrate them. All this, of course, is a lot of work. This is where the pre-poached ones come in handy.

Your best bet is to blanch the pre-poached zenmai before use. This gets rid of the possibly odd flavor that it might have acquired while in the package. Squeeze the water out of the zenmai, and boil it for a minute or so. Drain. An important step here is to take a few ladles of boiling water before you put the zenmai in, and pour it over abura-age (thin fried tofu), to rinse off the excess oil.

To make my favorite zenmai dish, you use the method called "itame-ni." "Itame" refers to stir-frying, while "ni" refers to simmering in thin sauce. Stir-frying before simmering adds nice richness to the otherwise very light dish. So, start with frying chopped ginger in sesame oil. When the wonderful aroma of ginger starts to rise from the pot, add (boiled and strained) zenmai. Stir-fry it for a few minutes, until the zenmai is lightly coated with oil. Add small pieces of abura-age, and pour a few tablespoons of all-purpose fish stock. Let it simmer for a while.

Abura-age is that thin, fried bag of tofu that holds the sushi rice in Inari-zushi. I haven't seen them anywhere other than Japanese markets, but they may be available in other Asian markets as well. For some reason, they aren't as popular as the thick fried tofu, which could also be used for this dish. When using the thick fried tofu, don't forget to rinse off the oil, too!

All-purpose fish stock is usually sold with the label of "soup base for noodles" in Japanese and other Asian markets. (I've also seen an overpriced version at the Southport Grocery as well; it must be making its way into the mainstream market.) It's basically a mixture of bonito and/or konbu stock, soy sauce and sugar. Given its versatility and long fridge life, it's probably worth keeping at hand if you're interested in cooking Japanese.

Back to the "zenmai itame-ni..."

It keeps in the fridge for about five days. The pre-poached version has less of the wild, earthy flavor of the zenmai, but it's still quite good--even soothing for an exiled Japanese soul--with the familiar mix of bonito stock, soy sauce and sugar. Good with sake, this dish is also a "rice thief," as we call dishes that entice you to eat more rice with it.

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H Mart
801 Civic Drive, Niles, IL

Southport Grocery
3552 N. Southport Ave., Chicago, IL
773.665.0100