Japanese Parsley Mitsuba 新鮮三葉

みつば

It looks like flat-leaf parsley, has a clean “green” flavor like parsley, belongs to the same family as parsley and is sometimes called wild Japanese parsley, but mitsuba is a distinct herb that’s often used in Japanese and Chinese cooking.  Mitsuba is usually added to soups, salads, and stir-fries, and often raw since heat tends to bring out its bitterness (or degrade the flavor altogether). 

三葉，日文名字是みつば（Mitsuba），是精進料理經常會用到的食材。這種香草盛產於中國、日本、韓國的潮濕和陰暗地區，與芫荽相似但味道較清新，適用於沙律及味噌湯，或油炸葉子用來裝飾天婦羅。營養價值方面，三葉蘊含豐富維他命C、胡蘿蔔素、鈣質和鐵質，昔日的日本人會以它紓緩痕癢、治療肺炎及腦膜炎，葉子所含的精油和黃酮類化合物亦有抗氧化及消炎功效。