Seaweed aka hai dai aka kombu

[alwang]

Anyone have any good recipes for hai dai (aka kombu)? I love the stuff, and I particularly love it in home-style soups, like with pork spare-ribs. However, as those who have made Japanese dashi will attest, if you let kombu boil, it turns the broth slimey. Do people soak the seaweed beforehand? Do you add it at the very end of cooking? Or do you just keep the soup at low simmer the whole time?

Thanks,

-al

[XiaoLing]

In Chinese hai dai soups, like the spare-rib soup, we always use rehydrated hai dai. We always soak it before hand and make sure its cleaned off before we add it in the pot.

My family also waits until the spare-rib stock is done before adding the hai dai. So, I guess the answers to your questions are: yes, yes, and no.

[Dejah]

I'm not sure if it's the same stuff I call dee toy in Toisanese (purple choi - literally). I buy it as a "pancake" of dried purple seaweed. The seaweed is soaked and rinse it well for sand and small snails. When the soup bone / pork ribs have been simmering for sometime to tenderize the meat and flavour the stock, I add the seaweed. Bring this to a boil and let it simmer until the seaweed is just tender... I can't even tell you for how long! As alwang said, it can turn slimy is cooked for too long.

[Ben Hong]

Dee toy comes in several varieties, some disintegrate after cooking for a while and some are indestructible rags that retains its form even after hours of cooking and digestion . Colours range from green to purple.

The Island of Grand Manan off the coast of our province (New Brunswick) is the largest harvester and processor of this seaweed, which is the common dulse. Dried dulse is a Maritime treat, sold in bulk or package and snacked on like the potato chip.

Edited March 30, 2007 by Ben Hong (log)

[mizducky]

I'm not sure if it's the same stuff I call dee toy in Toisanese (purple choi - literally). I buy it as a "pancake" of dried purple seaweed. The seaweed is soaked and rinse it well for sand and small snails. When the soup bone / pork ribs have been simmering for sometime to tenderize the meat and flavour the stock, I add the seaweed. Bring this to a boil and let it simmer until the seaweed is just tender... I can't even tell you for how long!    As alwang said, it can turn slimy is cooked for too long.

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Interesting! I have seen a somewhat similar seaweed product here in the local Chinese supermarket (99 Ranch). It was, as you say, like a big "pancake" of seaweed, about 10 inches in diameter, and not very thick, maybe a little under a half inch, made of lots of thin ribbons of a slightly shiny black seaweed stuck together. From the looks of it, I was guessing it was made of what the Japanese call nori ... but it was only a guess. Does this sound familiar? I would love to know what to do with it ... the one time I tried to use it, I obviously must have way overcooked it because it did fall apart and get unpleasantly slimy.

[hzrt8w]

I'm not sure if it's the same stuff I call dee toy in Toisanese (purple choi - literally). I buy it as a "pancake" of dried purple seaweed.

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"dee toy" (Cantonese "gee choy") and "hoi dai" are not the same thing. The former: purple in color, small and curly. The latter: green in color, shaped like the leaves of plants. "gee choy" is more used in savory soups. "hoi dai" is more used in sweet dessert soups (e.g. mung beans). The green shreds that they serve in Japanese sushi restaurants (mixed with sesame oil and sesame seeds) are one kind of "hoi dai" I think. "Gee choy" (or one specie of it) is the kind they used to wrap sushis, I think.

[hzrt8w]

... the one time I tried to use it, I obviously must have way overcooked it because it did fall apart and get unpleasantly slimy.

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You use them in very small quantity and they go a long way.

[Shalmanese]

Interesting! I have seen a somewhat similar seaweed product here in the local Chinese supermarket (99 Ranch). It was, as you say, like a big "pancake" of seaweed, about 10 inches in diameter, and not very thick, maybe a little under a half inch, made of lots of thin ribbons of a slightly shiny black seaweed stuck together. From the looks of it, I was guessing it was made of what the Japanese call nori ... but it was only a guess. Does this sound familiar? I would love to know what to do with it ... the one time I tried to use it, I obviously must have way overcooked it because it did fall apart and get unpleasantly slimy.

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I love that stuff! You don't even need to cook it, just soak in some cold water to get the grit out and then drop it straight into the simmering soup for 30 seconds and it's done. It's great for wonton and noodle soups.

[alwang]

I'm not sure if it's the same stuff I call dee toy in Toisanese (purple choi - literally). I buy it as a "pancake" of dried purple seaweed.

←

"dee toy" (Cantonese "gee choy") and "hoi dai" are not the same thing. The former: purple in color, small and curly. The latter: green in color, shaped like the leaves of plants. "gee choy" is more used in savory soups. "hoi dai" is more used in sweet dessert soups (e.g. mung beans). The green shreds that they serve in Japanese sushi restaurants (mixed with sesame oil and sesame seeds) are one kind of "hoi dai" I think. "Gee choy" (or one specie of it) is the kind they used to wrap sushis, I think.

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Hmm, interesting. So the problem, it sounds like, might be that I'm using the wrong kind of seaweed? I've never noticed this purplish seaweed in the stores, but I'll keep an eye out. The dried hai dai that I buy comes in large sheets, not really leaf-shaped.

Thanks, everyone!

-al

[SheenaGreena]

koreans make a great dish with the kombu type seaweed. I don't know how to make it, but I know it involves deep frying squares of the seaweed and afterwards sprinkling it with sugar. It sounds weird, but its delicious and is kind of like a seaweed cracker. Its typically served as a side dish. I think the last time I ate this was when I was younger, so its been a while. If you want I can try to find a recipe

[Dejah]

I'm not sure if it's the same stuff I call dee toy in Toisanese (purple choi - literally). I buy it as a "pancake" of dried purple seaweed.

←

"dee toy" (Cantonese "gee choy") and "hoi dai" are not the same thing. The former: purple in color, small and curly. The latter: green in color, shaped like the leaves of plants. "gee choy" is more used in savory soups. "hoi dai" is more used in sweet dessert soups (e.g. mung beans). The green shreds that they serve in Japanese sushi restaurants (mixed with sesame oil and sesame seeds) are one kind of "hoi dai" I think. "Gee choy" (or one specie of it) is the kind they used to wrap sushis, I think.

←

Hmm, interesting. So the problem, it sounds like, might be that I'm using the wrong kind of seaweed? I've never noticed this purplish seaweed in the stores, but I'll keep an eye out. The dried hai dai that I buy comes in large sheets, not really leaf-shaped.

Thanks, everyone!-al

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alwang: If you do a google, for zi cai, hoi dai or kombu, you'll find information on all of these.

zi cai is the one you would want for soup.

[XiaoLing]

Hmm, interesting.  So the problem, it sounds like, might be that I'm using the wrong kind of seaweed?  I've never noticed this purplish seaweed in the stores, but I'll keep an eye out.  The dried hai dai that I buy comes in large sheets, not really leaf-shaped.

Thanks, everyone!

-al

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Al, I think if you want to make spare rib hai dai soup you need to use the one that you have been buying. Zi tai (purple seaweed) is very different from the one that you currently are using.

Traditional spare rib soup uses big sheets of dried hai dai. You have to soak it in water to reconstitude the seaweed, wash it and then cut it into desired pieces. Make the stock with the spare ribs and some ginger. When the stock is about ready, throw in the pieces of hai dai. Simmer for another 15 mins or so and you have yourself some delicious spare rib hai dai tang!