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I once thought seaweed salads were really exotic and beyond the scope of my kitchen. So even though they were my favorite part about eating Japanese food, I never considered trying to make them at home. I’m not sure why this was; perhaps the seaweed itself intimidated me, or maybe it was my lack of experience with Japanese cooking, or possibly even a sub-conscious desire to let some foods remain mysterious and special. But at any rate, I’m getting to the point where I usually prefer to prepare my own food over eating it in a restaurant. This is for three main reasons: (1) it’s more fun to make it myself, (2) my own version is usually just as good if not better, and (3) I like to know exactly what’s going into my food. So when it occurred to me that I had been toying with seaweed in some other recipes, I figured it was high time to de-mystify the seaweed salad.
Turns out that it is the easiest thing in the world to make. And this version tastes pretty much just like the ones you get at Japanese restaurants.
This recipe is for a single salad, so just multiply the ingredients by the number of salads you want to make.
Ingredients:
- about 2 servings of dried wakame (the seaweed), which is about 6 tablespoons
- about 2 tablespoons of chopped cucumbers
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (the dark brown kind, also known as “Asian” sesame oil)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sweetener (I used agave nectar, but you could use sugar too)
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
- red hot pepper flakes, to taste
To make:
1. Soak the wakame in a bowl of cold water for ten minutes. It will turn bright green and expand.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, soy sauce, sweetener, ginger, and pepper flakes.
3. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until they turn golden brown (this will happen quickly, watch out).
4. Drain the wakame and pat off excess water with a towel or paper towel. Toss it with the cucumbers and dressing and top with the sesame seeds. Then get out your chopsticks and enjoy.
Miso soup, the beloved precursor to most Japanese meals, is so very easy to make at home. Serve it in small bowls to stimulate the palate or enjoy it alone as a light and simple meal or snack. I have heard that the Japanese often eat it for breakfast. This version is infused with ginger.
Japanese in origin, miso is a paste of fermented soybeans, barley, or rice that can be found in the refrigerated section of most well-stocked grocery markets and health food stores (it’s usually by the tofu). There are several different varieties, but I use mellow white soybean miso in this recipe. Try to find unpasteurized miso, which contains beneficial bacteria and enzymes that aid in digestion.
Miso is a great source of Vitamin B12 (important for vegans or those who do not consume many animal products). It also contains a relatively high volume of protein for a very small amount of calories. And, miso is a great source for many trace minerals, in particular zinc, which is very beneficial to the immune system.
Nori is a dried sea vegetable that is becoming increasingly easy to find in the Asian section of most larger grocery or health food stores. When cooked with the soup, it will soften and plump up. Sea vegetables are wonderful sources of calcium, zinc, and lignans, which are said to prevent cancer.
Makes 2-3 servings
Ingredients
- 2-3 T mellow white miso paste
- 1 vegetable bouillion cube
- 1/4 cup dried shitake mushrooms, chopped
- 3/4 cup chopped fresh shitake mushrooms
- 3/4 cup broccoli florets
- 2-4 T low sodium soy sauce (optional)
- 2-3 T rice cooking wine (mirin) (optional)
- about 3 T of fresh ginger (a 4 inch chunk), minced
- sea vegetable of choice, preferably wakame, about 1 cup dry (I used 4-5 sheets of dried nori, cut into strips, because it’s what I happened to have on hand)
- 6 oz. silken tofu, chopped into small cubes
- optional: dried red pepper flakes, to taste
To make:
- If using wakame, soak it in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes.
- Heat in a saucepan 4 cups of water until very hot, near boiling. Add the veggie bouillon and stir until dissolved. Then add ginger, dried shitakes, fresh shitakes, broccoli, nori strips, 1-2 T of the soy sauce (if using), and 1-2 T of the mirin (if using). Allow to cook, just barely simmering, for about 10 minutes, letting the ingredients infuse.
- When the vegetables have reached satisfactory tenderness, turn the heat way down so that the simmering stops and ladle out some of the soup into a separate bowl. Then, whisk into that bowl 2 T of the miso paste until it’s fully incorporated.
- Add the miso-mix into the soup — but only if it the soup is no longer simmering or boiling. Do NOT add miso to boiling water, as this will destroy the beneficial enzymes.
- Give the soup a taste test, and if needed add additional mirin, soy suace, or miso paste.
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