Guso seaweed recipe
Kombu can also be used to prepare as a type of tea-kombu-cha-in which dried kombu pieces are steeped in water. This type of kombu is a popular filling for onigiri, a topping on rice, and addition to salads and vegetables. In addition to being used for stock, kombu can be cooked in “tsukudani” style, where it is caramelized in soy sauce, sake, and sugar until the color darkens and the texture becomes soft and chewy. Packed with calcium and iron and a savory umami flavor, kombu is one of the main components of dashi broth, an essential ingredient in almost all Japanese dishes. It has a tough, leathery texture and must be rehydrated before use.
Kombu is a variety of bull kelp gathered mostly off the coast of Hokkaido in northern Japan. If you’re a little intimidated by the sound of the word “seaweed” as a food product, nori is the place to start as it is a taste that’s virtually loved by everyone! More than adding texture and flavor to the meals, it’s aesthetically pleasing as well.įlavored nori (ajitsuke) is also available, with common flavorings including soy sauce, salt, and sesame oil. Other forms of nori include kizami nori (shredded nori), for garnishing dishes such as donburi (rice bowls), and aonori (powdered nori), used as a condiment on foods such as okonomiyaki and yakisoba. Nori not only adds flavor variety to each meal, it also often serves a rather practical purpose such as keeping the rice together in sushi rolls or as a place to hold without getting your hands sticky eating onigiri (though some people prefer to use the plastic in store-bought onigiri nowadays).ĭried nori sheets are produced by pressing shredded edible red algae into thin sheets and drying it, similar to the process of papermaking.
With a savory, salty taste, nori is almost always eaten dried, and is sold in sheets or strips for making sushi, wrapping onigiri (rice balls), and for eating plain as a snack. Nori, or dried laver, is perhaps the most familiar seaweed to those outside of Japan, as it is the variety used to make sushi rolls.