Vegetables

Red water pepper sprout

紅蓼　べにたで　benitade

Also known asbenitade

No peak season recorded

Red water pepper sprout (benitade), Japanese vegetable — Red water pepper sprout (benitade) is available all year round.

When it is at its best

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

In seasonAvailable

How to cook

Red water pepper sprout: As a sashimi garnish — As a sashimi garnish

Scattered over sashimi; a sharp heat that cuts through the fat.

Red water pepper sprout: As a condiment — As a condiment

Scattered into the soy sauce, adding scent and heat.

Red water pepper sprout: As a garnish — As a garnish

For colour in soups and on hassun courses, where the red stands out.

How to choose

Vivid red stems with both seed leaves intact, and no wilting.

Storage

Sensitive to drying. Wrap in damp paper, seal and refrigerate. Use within two or three days.

Main areas

Aichi
Shizuoka
Osaka
Fukuoka

Good to know

The blanched sprouts of the water pepper plant. It is the tade of the proverb about there being no accounting for taste, and its heat is held to suppress the smell of raw fish. Served with sashimi not only for colour but for its antibacterial effect.

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