Tara no Me

Tara no me is a spring mountain vegetable (sansai). It is the new leaf shoots of the Japanese Angelica tree and popularly known as the king of sansai.

Tara no me is one of the more bitter mountain vegetables and therefore the Japanese almost always use it to make tempura. It can also be eaten after it has been boiled or soaked in water as this removes the astringency of the vegetable. Before cooking tara no me, the tough base and the outer layers on the bottom half of the vegetable should be removed.