Researchers have also been studying the health benefits of the compound puerarin, including its use in anti-aging medicine. Plants that contain this compound are used in Chinese medicine as well. If you’re wondering how you can add this ingredient to your diet, kudzu, an invasive weed that’s common in the Southern states, is a source of puerarin. So you may also be able to live a longer and healthier life by using kudzu as an ingredient in your meals. Check out these kudzu recipes.
Kudzu Sauce
You can use kudzu root powder as a thickening agent in a sauce. This kudzu sauce recipe uses kudzu and soy sauce to make a sauce for Japanese-style chicken. You can also use the kudzu sauce to add Japanese flavor to other proteins such as tofu. Basically, the ground-up kudzu root powder functions like other types of starches, such as cornstarch, that can also be used as thickening agents. But if you use kudzu root powder you can also add puerarin to your meal.
Mung Bean Pudding
In Vietnam, mung bean pudding is a popular dessert entree. Once again, kudzu root powder is used as a thickening agent in this recipe to turn the mixture of mung beans and other ingredients into pudding. The recipe also explains that kudzu root powder can be hard to find at grocery stores. Where I live, there are several Asian supermarkets and health-food stores that are likely to sell this ingredient but you might not see it on the shelves if you visit a traditional grocery store.
Sesame Tofu
The tofu you see at grocery stores is made from soybeans, but it’s also possible to make sesame tofu with kudzu root powder. This sesame and kudzu tofu recipe doesn’t include many other ingredients but it does take a relatively complex process to prepare it properly. Once again, the kudzu root is being used as the thickening agent in this recipe and the sesame paste provides the flavor. You might want to make this entree if you like sesame. Additionally, this is a vegan tofu recipe that’s soybean-free if you’re trying to avoid soybeans.
Kudzu Mochi
You can also use kudzu to make mochi, Japanese dessert cakes. Again, kudzu root powder serves as the thickening agent here. This mochi recipe explains how to make the dessert with tapioca powder because that may be easier to find and you can still make a delicious dessert that way. Of course, if you can obtain kudzu root powder either online or from a local grocery store you can use that instead of tapioca root powder. The mochi recipe also includes milk and you can use plant-based milk as a substitute for cow’s milk.
Kudzu Tea
Another way to add kudzu to your diet is to make it into tea. You can make a simple tea with just kudzu root powder, a sweetener, and water, but there are also traditional Japanese kudzu tea recipes that use additional ingredients to add more flavor. It might be worthwhile to get creative here and add the sweeteners and spices you prefer if you have them in your pantry already. Kudzu tea is also a popular drink for people who are recovering from illnesses.
Kudzu Jelly
Unlike many other kudzu recipes, this jelly doesn’t use kudzu root powder as an ingredient. Instead, it’s made with freshly picked kudzu flowers. Again, kudzu is considered an invasive plant in the South and there are kudzu plants all over the place there. The main thing to watch out for is that if you live in an area where you can pick the kudzu flowers, you should try to avoid using flowers that may have been sprayed with pesticides. You can store kudzu jelly to use later if you prepare it properly as well.
Pie Glaze
You can also use kudzu to make glaze that you can use as a baking ingredient. This site, which lists several kudzu recipes, explains how to use apple juice and kudzu root powder to make a glaze for apple pies. It would be possible to make different types of pie glazes with other types of fruit juice as well. You could also replace the kudzu powder with tapioca powder but that wouldn’t give you the additional compounds in kudzu such as puerarin.
Chocolate Kudzu Pudding
There are many types of pudding you can make with kudzu root powder and they don’t just include traditional Japanese recipes. This kudzu pudding recipe also includes coconut milk and is vegan. Since kudzu is a plant, you can use it in a lot of vegan recipes if you’re also using other vegan ingredients such as plant milk. Remember that some types of chocolate do contain dairy milk so you might want to be aware of that if you’re making a meal for vegans.
Lemon Kudzu Pudding
You can also use kudzu to make lemon pudding. This lemon pudding recipe isn’t vegan like the chocolate pudding recipe and it does use dairy milk and butter, but it’s up to you what type of milk you’d prefer. Again, the recipe reminds you that you might not find kudzu root powder in your local grocery store unless you live near health-food stores or Asian grocery stores. There are lots of stores that sell kudzu root powder online, though.