Chuka Wakame

[ohev'ochel]

I think I have solved the mystery!

I decided to start searching Japnese pages instead of sticking with the English ones, and I found this (scroll to the middle of the page).

中華ワカメサラダ

Chuka Wakame Salad

The picture looks the same or a least very similar, I there is a good chance they would just translate wakame to seaweed as i am sure there are many people outside of Japan not familiar with the name. This one doesn't mention agar agar, but it doesn't really list any ingredients, I have a feeling the agar agar is added to bulk it up.

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kristin -- that looks just like it but it is hard to see since it is a small picture.

are there different kinds of wakame? i tried to make it with naruto wakame [cause that's what i found] and it did not fare the same way as the original. the texture was all wrong although the taste was perfect.

if u get the chance to sample it, try it. it's actually very tasty leading to being addictive, IMO.

[torakris]

I think I have solved the mystery!

I decided to start searching Japnese pages instead of sticking with the English ones, and I found this (scroll to the middle of the page).

中華ワカメサラダ

Chuka Wakame Salad

The picture looks the same or a least very similar, I there is a good chance they would just translate wakame to seaweed as i am sure there are many people outside of Japan not familiar with the name. This one doesn't mention agar agar, but it doesn't really list any ingredients, I have a feeling the agar agar is added to bulk it up.

←

kristin -- that looks just like it but it is hard to see since it is a small picture.

are there different kinds of wakame? i tried to make it with naruto wakame [cause that's what i found] and it did not fare the same way as the original. the texture was all wrong although the taste was perfect.

if u get the chance to sample it, try it. it's actually very tasty leading to being addictive, IMO.

←

The regular leaf part of the wakame plant won't work, it will be to soft. You need a part that has more bite to it like the stems, called kuki wakame. They are sold in various thickness, dried and fresh. Looks like this.

[zoe b]

are there different kinds of wakame? i tried to make it with naruto wakame [cause that's what i found] and it did not fare the same way as the original. the texture was all wrong although the taste was perfect.

could you share your recipe? I've been trying to duplicate this with wakame, and I don't mind the texture being different, but I haven't gotten the taste right, either.

I think there are also cellophane noodles in the purchased seaweed salad--I/ve seen bean threads on the ingredients list.

Zoe

[torakris]

I wasn't able to find this in supermarkets in Yokohama but I just came back from a 4 day trip to Fukushima and look what I found in a local supermarket up there!

Chukka wakame

The ingredient list (which I forgot to take a picture of) listed kuki wakame as the main iingredient and no other types of seweeds were listed. This specific product did not contain agar agar in any form. The main seasonings were soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sesame seeds and kochujang! This particular product was made in Niigata, it was quite good and my husband, who normally doesn't care for wakame, devoured the pack. IIt was definitely cheaper here than in the US, that pack of 180g (6.3 oz) cost me 198 yen ($1.70).

[markemorse]

Thank you, everyone! This is a question that has plagued my wife and for years (well, it's annoyed us occasionally), we've always loved it and called it chuka wakame, but no one from Japan ever knew what we were talking about when we talked about it.

First surimi cleared up, and now this...

Fantastic!

mark

[SuzySushi]

I wasn't able to find this in supermarkets in Yokohama but I just came back from a 4 day trip to Fukushima and look what I found in a local supermarket up there!

Chukka wakame

The ingredient list (which I forgot to take a picture of) listed kuki wakame as the main iingredient and no other types of seweeds were listed. This specific product did not contain agar agar in any form. The main seasonings were soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sesame seeds and kochujang! This particular product was made in Niigata, it was quite good and my husband, who normally doesn't care for wakame, devoured the pack. IIt was definitely cheaper here than in the US, that pack of 180g (6.3 oz) cost me 198 yen ($1.70).

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That's it.

I was over at ou local Sam's Club yesterday and saw large packages of the seaweed salad, which they called Seaweed (Wakame) Salad. First ingredient listed was wakame (not specifying which type), then agar agar, the usual seasoning ingredients, and lots of artificial ingredients (preservatives, food dyes).

So it appears that some brands use agar agar and some don't.

[ohev'ochel]

I wasn't able to find this in supermarkets in Yokohama but I just came back from a 4 day trip to Fukushima and look what I found in a local supermarket up there!

Chukka wakame

The ingredient list (which I forgot to take a picture of) listed kuki wakame as the main iingredient and no other types of seweeds were listed. This specific product did not contain agar agar in any form. The main seasonings were soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sesame seeds and kochujang! This particular product was made in Niigata, it was quite good and my husband, who normally doesn't care for wakame, devoured the pack. IIt was definitely cheaper here than in the US, that pack of 180g (6.3 oz) cost me 198 yen ($1.70).

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kristin--

just saw ur post. yup, that's it but it kinda looks different from what i get here. not going to split hairs at this point! unless the red chili is hidden amongst the wakame. question: what is the kochujang stuff? hehe, ur husband ate the whole thing -- told u it was good. but how did YOU like it? did it have the typical crunch to it? would u buy it again? [sorry for all the questions].

have to try this using the kuki wakame. how does it usually come, frozen or salted? i think i saw it salted but someone said it was VERY salty still after it was soaked. though that may be just a preparation error on the part of the person who did it.

thanx for ur help.

[torakris]

Yes there were red flecks in it, for some reason they didn't show up in the picture.

Kochujang is a Korean chile paste.

Yes I did eat some of it as well and it was very good and very crunchy. I would buy it again.

Kuki wakame I had never noticed being sold before this thread.... I went looking for it the other day and found a pack in the refrigerated section that was salted. Because it is quite a bit thicker than regular wakame I am assuming the soaking period will need to be longer and you wshould probably wash it in several changes of water.

[ohev'ochel]

Yes there were red flecks in it, for some reason they didn't show up in the picture.

Kochujang is a Korean chile paste.

Yes I did eat some of it as well and it was very good and very crunchy. I would buy it again.

Kuki wakame I had never noticed being sold before this thread.... I went looking for it the other day and found a pack in the refrigerated section that was salted. Because it is quite a bit thicker than regular wakame I am assuming the soaking period will need to be longer and you wshould probably wash it in several changes of water.

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thanx for ur quick reply!

the kochujang makes sense -- i have found this salad being sold very often in korean grocery stores. i had seen the kuki wakame before and did not realize it could be slivered and was therefore used for this salad. anyway, glad i finally now know what it is. thank u for all ur help.

Edited August 20, 2006 by ohev'ochel (log)

[torakris]

Just another quick note, though I posted a link to this picture of slivered kuki wakame this was not the type I have seen in the store and not the type most people think of when you say kuki wakame.　Every time I have eaten it, it has looked like this. This is what the bag at the store looked like yesterday but looking online it most often seems to be sold like this (salted).

This looks like it would be very difficult to julienne....

[ohev'ochel]

Just another quick note, though I posted a link to this picture of slivered kuki wakame this was not the type I have seen in the store and not the type most people think of when you say kuki wakame.　Every time I have eaten it, it has looked like this. This is what the bag at the store looked like yesterday but looking online it most often seems to be sold like this (salted).

This looks like it would be very difficult to julienne....

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in essence, then, i would be looking to buy the first type u mention "rakuten" brand or similar?

[torakris]

Just another quick note, though I posted a link to this picture of slivered kuki wakame this was not the type I have seen in the store and not the type most people think of when you say kuki wakame.　Every time I have eaten it, it has looked like this. This is what the bag at the store looked like yesterday but looking online it most often seems to be sold like this (salted).

This looks like it would be very difficult to julienne....

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in essence, then, i would be looking to buy the first type u mention "rakuten" brand or similar?

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yes you would want that first type.

Rakuten is not the brand name, it is an online shopping mall operator through whcih the smaller company (Kawamoto) is selling their product.