[With Recipe] History Starts from the Edo Period: Crunchy Infinite Okahijiki

Just as the spring wild vegetable season settles down and summer vegetables are vigorously stretching their vines and leaves, okahijiki (saltwort) begins to grow rapidly and appear on the market.
Cultivated in greenhouses on farms, with its delicate, deeply notched leaves that resemble horsetail, and its refreshing, crisp texture without any harshness or bitterness, it is a fine green and yellow vegetable for early summer.
The history of its cultivation in Yamagata Prefecture is long, and it is said that it was already being grown in the Okitama region in the early Edo period.
It boasts one of the longest cultivation histories in the country.
A leading theory is that when trade using the Mogami River was flourishing, seeds of plants growing on the sandy soil near the Shonai coast attached themselves to boats and were transported inland, reaching what is now Rigo in Nanyo City, where the boat landing was located, and began to be cultivated there.

However, even though it was originally a wild plant, the cultivation of okahijiki is difficult, in proportion to its delicate appearance.
First of all, managing it to maintain its crisp and juicy texture is very difficult.
The okahijiki fields that spread across the farmland in Nanyo City are almost entirely covered by greenhouses.
There, it is required to respond meticulously to changes in temperature and humidity during the main growing season from early summer to the rainy season.
If it rains, the greenhouses must be closed immediately, and when it stops and the sun comes out, the plastic must be opened as soon as possible for ventilation to keep the air circulation and humidity refreshing.
The plant itself is delicate, and diseases can spread in the blink of an eye due to humidity and temperature, and since there are almost no pesticides that can be used, what is sold on the market is almost completely pesticide-free.
It is a vegetable that shrinks significantly when boiled, but before it reaches the dining table, it involves the efforts and hardships of the producers, just like other vegetables, or perhaps even more so.

In any case, it is an excellent vegetable that is also very high in carotene, iron, and magnesium.
If you find some at the peak of the season, let's eat plenty of this seasonal flavor.
It has no strong flavor and goes well with various cooking methods, so please try more than just the popular mustard or wasabi dressing.
Among the ones I have tried, Vietnamese-style fresh spring rolls that make use of its beautiful color are very delicious.
The sweet and sour sweet chili sauce matched very well with the okahijiki.

[Recipe] Crunchy Infinite Okahijiki

[Ingredients]
1 pack of okahijiki
1 small can of tuna
3 teaspoons soy sauce
A little mirin (optional)
A generous pinch of Japanese mustard. As much as you like
A little sesame oil
(1 small bag of bonito flakes, if desired)

(1) Trim off the hard parts at the base of the okahijiki and boil it briefly in boiling water with a little salt. In my parents' home, we count slowly to 10.

(2) Drain in a colander and immediately soak in cold water to cool thoroughly. This is not to remove harshness, but to keep it crisp.

(3) Open the tuna can into a bowl, including the liquid, and mix well with soy sauce, mirin, and Japanese mustard (tube paste is fine). If you are concerned about the oil in the can, you can drain it lightly. You can also use canned tuna in water for a lighter, delicious result.
(4) Drain the okahijiki, squeeze it dry, cut it into 2 cm lengths, and mix with the tuna sauce just before eating. Add a drizzle of sesame oil and mix in bonito flakes if you like, and it's ready.

The reason it is called 'infinite' is because 'infinite bell peppers' and 'infinite cabbage,' which are mixed with canned tuna, soy sauce, sesame oil, and small dried fish or bonito flakes, are popular in home cooking recipes on the internet, so I borrowed the name.

It is also delicious to drain the liquid from the tuna can well and make a sauce with soy sauce, mustard, and a little mayonnaise.
Instead of canned tuna, boiled chicken tenderloin or breast meat also goes well. In that case, wasabi soy sauce might be a better flavor match.
If you use store-bought salad chicken, it adds volume and is easy, but be careful with the salt content. Some products are quite salty, so please adjust the amount of soy sauce.