Seaweed

[stefanyb]

I've had a particularly interesting maki roll at Mizu Sushi, NYC that is called a spicy scallop roll. It contains raw scallop, tempura crumbs, spicy sauce and is rolled in a wonderful soft seaweed wrapper much lighter in color than regular nori and more pliable. It seems to almost be translucent. It definitely is trans-lucious.

Anyone know about this?

Edited January 22, 2003 by stefanyb (log)

[torakris]

It was probably a type of konbu called tororokonbu, did it look like this:

http://www.aimono.com/ the type around the rice balls?

Edited January 22, 2003 by torakris (log)

[stefanyb]

It was probably a type of konbu called tororokonbu, did it look like this:

http://www.aimono.com/  the type around the rice balls?

Yes! Have you had experience with it? What do you know about it?

[torakris]

The most common uses for it are wrappers for onigiri (rice balls) and in soups.

It is when it becomes wet that its name seems most appropriate.

I don't know the exact translation (and it isn't in my dictionary) but tororo means slimy, but in a good way.

Sorry there is probably a better word for this, and native Japanese speakers out there?

Here is what it looks like when wet:

http://www.lovemika.com/recipebox/1999/99A...il/9904061.html

In my search for a picture, I ran across a website (in Japanese) about the best ways to increase breast size and eating tororo was one of the best things for it. Something about the way a certain mineral in it interacts with some female hormones. Can you tell I don't work as a translator?!

Notice anything different today?

[tissue]

I've had a small piece of this top off my salmon sushi, with sesame seeds sprinkled on top. I was pleasantly surprised.

[torakris]

What types of seaweeds do you have in your house and what are some of your favorite applications?

[Akiko]

Jin! no to hijiki?

This was one of my favorite meals as a child. hijiki with rice... prepared the way that probably every japanese family eats it... stir fried in soy and sugar with bits of tofu skin

Iused to love that stuff that comes in a jar too... what's it called? It has some goofy name like gohan no otomodachi...(friend of rice) that's not it, but its something like that.

OOOH I remember, its "gohan desu yo" (It's rice time) I think... is that it?

But these days I like flavored seaweed.. to be eaten with or without rice and seaweed salad... the mixed kind that comes in the package dried.

[margaret]

Recently I've been eating a lot of tororo-kombu (soft shaved vinegared kombu) just set on top of a bowl of steaming white rice to soften and melt, or dropped into a bowl of light soup.

And the Korean yaki-nori with sesame oil and salt is forever a favorite.

[Akiko]

margaret,

I once happened to be in a department store in seoul while they were having a special promotion in their food department. A vendor for nori was their packaging fresh packs of their roasted sesame oil salt nori... I bought a few packages and gave them out to my family as presents when I got home..

they still talk about that nori and ask me for more... I can't remember the brand, and think that there was something very special about the fact that I bought it from a vendor who was fresh packing the stuff... my family just can't seem to understand that I'd need to get on a plane and go back to seoul in order to buy them more of it!

It was very hard to stop eating the stuff.

[SobaAddict70]

definitely hijiki

nori, either as tempura (great with soba); in a layered omelette with eggs (cook eggs in a jelly roll omelet pan, let eggs set, add a sheet of nori, roll the omelette up with chopsticks, slide off pan, and repeat); or toasted and crumbled on top of rice with a little gomasio or togarashi and flaked, dried bonito.

Soba

[Jinmyo]

Yeah, it's no to hijiki for me. Stick in between my teeth. Strings of pod-things. Chew chew chew. Like plastic twist-ties that have been knotted. Nope.

[torakris]

hijiki is probably my favorite, especially the way Akiko described it as a type of mazegohan (mixed rice) with aburage (tofu pockets?) or even in a type of gomoku-ni with aburage, konnyaku, carrots, soy beans, etc.

Korean style nori is so much better tasting then the Japanese kind (except for sushi), it is immensely popular here in Japan and can be bought everywhere, though probably not as good as the one Akiko desribes.

mekabu is another favorite, though I have no idea what it is called in English and I doubt it is available outside of Japan since it is most commonly eaten in a fresh form.

Wakame is probably one of my least favorites.

[torakris]

I was just reminded of one of my favorite donburis using nori (laver)

chop up a tomato add a little salt and some freshly grated ginger root, let sit for about 15 minutes then fill a bowl with hot Japanese rice, top it with some shredded or torn up nori and then pull the tomatoes out of their juices and place on top of the nori, eat!

wonderful!

[smallworld]

Gohan desu yo! I love that stuff. Korean nori too. Somehow the seaweed and seaweed dishes I like best are good with rice, but I'm really trying to cut down on my rice intake. Anyone know any good seaweed dishes that can stand on their own?

I like seaweed salad- the kind that you just hydrate and add dressing too.

Torakris, I'll be trying that tomato donburi this summer!

What is mekabu?

[Jason Perlow]

I like wakame in miso soup.

I like that gelatinous stuff that they use for seaweed salad.

Theres this other purplish-like seaweed that i have also had in seaweed salads, but I don't know what that one is called -- I usually have it in a lemony salad dressing.

Nori, of course, being the backbone of sushi. Love it in hand rolls.

which one is hijiki?

[Wimpy]

Ajitsuke nori. Healthier than potato chips when in need of something savory.

[Jinmyo]

I didn't know that other people preferred Korean nori as well.

I often find Korean kombu to be of better quality as well.

[margaret]

re: korean nori, I've tried to approximate it at home with Japanese nori (since I usually have large sheets of it sitting around at home, as opposed to Korean-style which tends to disappear quickly) but it never comes out well. Has anyone had any success roasting and flavoring their own?

That tomato donburi sounds wonderful. Only a few more months until they're in season...

[SobaAddict70]

Jason,

Hijiki are those spindly black or dark brownish bits of seaweed that you often find cooked in some sort of soy glaze or sauce, as an appetizer or a bento box accompaniment. It has a chewy texture that closely approximates...plastic twist-ties (I can see where Jin's coming from, but I love them so more for me. )

Awbrig, I'm at a loss for words....heheh.

cheers,

Soba

[torakris]

Gohan desu yo! I love that stuff. Korean nori too. Somehow the seaweed and seaweed dishes I like best are good with rice, but I'm really trying to cut down on my rice intake. Anyone know any good seaweed dishes that can stand on their own?

I like seaweed salad- the kind that you just hydrate and add dressing too.

Torakris, I'll be trying that tomato donburi this summer!

What is mekabu?

mekabu is actually from the same plant as wakame, it is normally sliced into fine shreds letting its slimy-ness come out. here is a picture of both the whole and cut forms:

http://www8.ocn.ne.jp/~awabi/mekabu.html

The whole pieces can be bought in the fish sections of any supermarket and the pre-cut versions are usually sold in packs of 3 near the natto.

mozuku is another great sea vegetable.

[smallworld]

Thanks for the mekabe explanation, Torakris. I think I've seen it before, but I thought it was mozuku.

Wimpy, ajitsuke nori makes a great snack, doesn't it! Even more addictive than potato chips.

[tommy]

i *love* nori. there's nothing quite as satisfying as holding a hand roll that's wrapped in crispy (not soft or god forbid, soggy) nori.

i crush it up in soups, and crush it up in chopped up raw tuna, when making tartare with an asain or japanese influence.

i love nori.

[torakris]

If you ever run across the aojiso (shiso) flavored ones (nori) grab them , they are incredible!

[Akiko]

Has anyone ever toasted the stuff in the oven?

I was always taught to hold it over the open flame on a stove top for a few seconds, flipping from side to side to "crisp" it... And now I have one of those flat top (very sad) cookers... no gas flame. Could I toast it in the oven before wrapping my maki and onigiri?

My mother always kept her nori in the refrigerator.. but mine seems to be a huge humidifier as well as keep my food cold so I've been leaving it out. Is there a correct philosophy on how to store your sheets of nori?

[Jinmyo]

I store nori with one of those packages of silicone stuff, in the cupboard.

I suppose you could try toasting it in the oven but you'd have to watch very carefully.