A few weeks ago when my in-laws were visiting we ended up out in Flushing. Flushing (a town in the eastern part of Queens) has a huge Korean and Chinese population. We stopped into H-Mart (a Korean grocery store) just before heading back to the city and I ended up with quite a large haul. Queens prices < Manhattan prices.
One thing I picked up (it was on sale and I was curious) was ‘fern bracken’.
When I got home I discovered that ‘fern bracken’ is actually just another term for fiddlehead ferns. Fiddleheads always pop up at the farmers’ market around April. It’s good to know I can get them year round at H-Mart if I need to. If you’re familiar with Korean food, these bracken ferns / fiddleheads show up in Bi Bim Bap as well – they are the brown pieces of veggie.
Fiddleheads are high in antioxidants, and are a source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. As most vegetables, they are high in fiber. They also happen to have vitamin A, niacin, vitamin C, riboflavin, phosphorus, and even iron.
Sauteed Sesame Fiddlehead Ferns (Bracken Ferns) – Macrobiotic Recipe*
Method (keep reading for recipe ingredients and instructions…)
We had our ferns with breakfast. I opted for eggs, ferns, takuan (Japanese pickle), and avocado. I believe Bobby had the same but with white rice, too.
(Eggs technically not macrobiotic; don’t think the avocado is either – but it sure was tasty!)
*Inspired by {this recipe}.
Sauteed Sesame Fern Bracken / Fiddlehead Ferns
Ingredients:
- 1 bag of boiled bracken fern (750 grams or 1.65 pounds). I know they sell bracken fern in a dried form, but I have not tried this recipe with the dried fiddleheads.
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (or more, to taste)
- 1 tablespoon of ground black sesame (toasted pre-grinding). Feel free to substitute regular sesame seeds, and the grinding is optional.
Directions:
- Drain the bracken ferns and thoroughly wash them.
- Chop the fern pieces into 1-2 inch pieces. Add the garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and make sure all the pieces are coated in the sauce.
- Heat a wok on high heat. You do not need to add any oil, since there is oil in the ferns already. Saute on high heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently (I like to use chopsticks for stirring).
- Add about 3-4 tablespoons of water to the cooking ferns, turn the heat down to medium, mix again, and cover the wok. Let the ferns cook for 10 more minutes to get nice and tender.
- At the end, there may be a little bit of water left – you can either continue cooking to let it boil off (uncovered again, and high heat), you can leave it in, or you can dump it out. It’s ok for this dish to have a little bit of water.
- Turn off the heat under the ferns. Grind your black sesame.
- Serve the fiddlehead / bracken ferns topped with sesame; mix before serving.
Have you had fiddlehead ferns? What’s your favorite way to prepare them?
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Tagged: avocado, bracken fern, breakfast, eggs, fiddlehead ferns, garlic, japanese pickle, korean food, macrobiotic, macrobiotic march, macrobiotics, recipe, sesame seeds, takuan, vegan, vegetarian, wok
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You know Maggie, I’ve seen fiddlehead ferns at farmers markets and were too afraid to even ask how to cook with them! I’ll definitely buy some this summer!
Hello! (was directed over here from Heather Eats Almond Butter) I love the idea of a month of macrobiotics! I’m fascinated with the diet, and it does seem incredibly tasty and healthy. Looking forward to more posts!
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