I would like to introduce one of my favourite Japanese superfoods that I start to use much more often in Autumn. Why? Kuzu has been helping me to have COLD & FLU FREE WINTER every single year! My neighbour’s two sons used to have chest infection every single year then she start to give kuzu to the boys, NO MORE chest infection for three years for now! Let me tell you about this fabulous Japanese superfoods!
What is kuzu?
Kuzu (also known as Kudzu) is a traditional starch that is extracted from the roots of the kuzu plant. The Kuzu plant (Pueraia lobata) belongs to the pea family and is native to both Japan and China. The kuzu’s roots, which grow taller than the average-size male (averaging 200 pounds/90kg), are among the largest in the world.
Huge Kuzu root – the largest in the world!
Photo credit: Muso international
In traditional Chinese medicine kuzu root is considered to be one of the 50 fundamental medicinal herbs, and has been praised for its medicinal properties in China and Japan for thousands of years.
The kuzu is widely used in Japan and regarded as the healthiest cooking starch, or jelling agent, in the culinary and confectionary world, as well as the medicinal world
BECAUSE KUZU HELPS TO ;
- alleviate cold and fever symptoms
- contribute to prevention of cancer (exhibit anti-tumor activity in breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer )
- reduce inflammatory conditions
- lower blood pressure
- prevent atherosclerosis
- relieve allergic reaction
- lower cholesterol
- down-regulate blood glucose and have the potential to treat type I and II diabetes
- reduce menopause symptoms
- promote healthy aging
- detoxify all kinds of poison
- alleviate stiff muscles
- treat minor indigestion
- relieve intestinal discomfort caused by over-acidity, bacterial infections and diarrhoea
- eliminate hangover
There are many health benefits, right ?
Fabulous new is…
It is super easy to use it! In Japan, kuzu is mostly used to make home remedies, sesame tofu or wagashi ( traditional Japanese sweets) but you can simply use as a thickener for sauces, gravies, pies, pudding and stir-fries to replace flour, arrowroot starch, potato starch or tapioca starch
Or you can make Tofu cheese cake from my cookbook Cooking with Soy and I hear lots of fabulous feedbacks about this recipe!
Kuzu actually add ” creaminess” to the filling along with tofu. That is why his cheese cake is really creamy without any dairy 🙂 Pure guilt-free sweets!
Check recipe from here!
Hope this post encourages you to use this fabulous Japanese superfood for your health!
DO YOU NEED HEALTHY VEGAN COOKING INSPIRATIONS?
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Online Course
I run online Japanese cooking courses! but I open the course 3 times a year. So if you want to be notified, just drop your email address HERE
Plant Based Cookbooks
If you want to cook more easy and tasty Japanese vegan meals using Japanese superfoods – real key for Japanese health, please grab my vegan cookbook “Japanese Superfoods” or “Top 3 Japanese Superfoods for Natural Weightloss” or even better, you can have “Japanese Superfoods combo deal” to master Japanese Superfoods.
