Mitsuba Immersion

Normally, you wouldn't buy it, especially if you live alone.
In fact, is there ever a reason for someone living alone to buy mitsuba?
It's too much for a garnish. It spoils quickly and doesn't keep. Until a few years ago, a special sale would get you 3 or 4 bunches for 100 yen, but now the quantity has been reduced to 1 or 2 bunches. There's no way I'd buy something like that.

I like mitsuba. Unfortunately, I like it a lot.
I pride myself on being the single person who buys more mitsuba than anyone else.
However, now that a special sale is 100 yen for a single bunch, even I wouldn't buy something like that. As much as I love mitsuba, I haven't bought it even once in the past year.
Then yesterday, I stopped by the Santoku supermarket and they had a special sale on mitsuba. Just one bunch, of course.

So small.

I picked it up and shouted involuntarily. In my heart. And once I held it, I wanted to eat it. I felt a bit annoyed. Still, lured by the rare, dirt-cheap price of 79 yen a bunch, and helped by my poverty-stricken mindset, I put it in my basket. I ended up buying it. I felt frustrated, like I had lost.

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Now, as for eating mitsuba, I actually only have two options besides using it as a garnish. First is ohitashi (blanched greens), and second is stir-fried with bacon. That's it.
As for ohitashi, it's so standard that it goes without saying. The issue is the bacon stir-fry. If you don't know it, please give it a try. It's simple and delicious.

The ingredients are bacon, mitsuba, and a little bit each of salt, pepper, soy sauce, and lemon juice. That's all.
Heat the frying pan. Fry the bacon. Since oil comes out of the bacon, you don't need any extra oil. Once you've fried the bacon until it's almost deep-fried in its own fat, add the mitsuba—cut into 4 or 5 cm pieces—in stages, starting with the stems and then the leaves. Season with salt and pepper, stir-fry quickly, and you're done. Be careful not to overcook it. Finally, sprinkle with soy sauce and lemon juice to taste and enjoy.

Regarding ohitashi, just a quick note. I am definitely a fan of shiro-dashi (white soup stock). Soy sauce is too strong and ruins the aroma. I dress it with shiro-dashi and sprinkle on a little bit of shaved bonito flakes and crumbled nori seaweed. Then, I say 'itadakimasu' and eat.

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This thing called mitsuba isn't just for eating.
It also gives you the pleasure of cultivation.
I'm sure many of you know this. That's it. For those who don't, here is some good news. I will answer in place of your AI.
The mitsuba sold at supermarkets is hydroponically grown, and the roots are wrapped in a sponge. Naturally, you cut this part off when you eat it. When you cut it off, leave a long piece of the stem. Don't throw away the sponge with the stem attached. Put it in a suitable container with water. If you leave it in a convenient place like the kitchen window, leaves will grow from the cut end after a few days. It's like a perpetual motion machine where you can just pluck or tear these off to use as a garnish.
However, it might just be me, but I feel like the aroma of the mitsuba gets weaker every time I harvest it. I feel that way. Since the aroma is everything for mitsuba (in my opinion), I suppose it's teaching me that perpetual motion machines don't exist after all. So, that's what I've decided to believe.

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Since I titled this 'Immersion,' there is naturally one more thing.
After eating and cultivation, the third and final one is 'appreciation'.
Cultivate it, but don't harvest it; just leave it alone. Though, make sure you don't forget to water it every day. If you do that, the leaves will grow incredibly lush. After a while, small white star-shaped flowers will bloom at the tips of the branches. Several tiny white flowers, only a few millimeters in size, will bloom here and there amidst the green. They are truly adorable. If you like small flowers, this is a must-see.

In that way, mitsuba is an 'immersion' ingredient that you can eat, propagate easily, and even enjoy as a flower.

I highly recommend it.