The Importance of (sea)Weed: Kombu
To continue with my post on seaweeds, which is a big part of Japanese cuisine I’m going to talk about Kombu seaweed. This is an elephant of a seaweed as it is HUGE and tasty, which is why it is used to flavor soups and broth and is used in Nabe, a type of Japanese hotpot cuisine. The Japanese call it HotPot but in other countries they call it Fondues or steamboats, depending on where you come from.
This seaweed is so flavorful, MSG (Monosodium Glutemate) is derived from it. No kidding. I am sure you guys are familiar with the brand, Ajinomoto. My grandma used to swear by it. No wonder her dishes tastes so good, it’s like crack you just keep coming back for more. But anyway, back to the seaweed, Kombu is really a flavoring ingredient that provides a certain crunch and flavor in soups, which is why it is one of the 3 main ingredients in making Dashi stock.
Kombu is also called dashima (Korean: 다시마), or haidai (Chinese: 海带; pinyin: Hǎidài), are edible kelp from the genus Laminaria widely eaten in Northeast Asia.
Over 90 percent of Japanese kombu is cultivated, and most is harvested in Hokkaidō. It is cultivated as far south as the Seto Inland Sea. In Okinawa, the consumption of kombu per household is the highest of all prefectures. The traditional Okinawan cuisine relies heavily on kombu as a part of the diet and this started since the Edo Period. In fact, Kombu was once used as currency in ancient Japan for trading things and due to its short shelvespan, Kombu was considered a precious item. In the 20th century, a way to cultivate kombu was discovered and kombu became cheap and readily available everywhere.
It’s interesting to see how a weed can a part in the historical bits of a country. I always thought kombu and wakame were the same because of the texture - silky, slimey and smooth. Anyway, the most common hotpot that incorporate kombu as part of their ingredient is Oden.
And here’s an Oden recipe I found for you that sounds delicious and vegetarian too. I will probably try it when I can get my hands on some Kombu seaweed :)
Ingredients:
* 5 T soy sauce
* 3 T mirin
* 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
* 1 pound firm tofu, cubed
* 3 med carrots, peeled (optional) and sliced
* 3 med turnips, peeled and quartered
* 2 med potatoes, peeled (optional) and quartered
* 12 scallions, cut into 4-inch pieces
* 3 oz fresh spinach
* ½ bunch watercress
* hot mustard
Directions:
Heat water and konbu until just about to boil, turn off heat, and remove konbu. Place shiitakes in water and let soak for 20-30 minutes. Remove and discard stems, and set the mushrooms aside. Add sake, soy sauce, and mirin to the soaking water to make dashi.
Place konbu in center of large pan and place the eggs on top. Arrange the tofu, carrots, turnips, and shiitakes around the eggs.
Pour in the dashi, and heat until it just starts to boil. Partially cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, uncover, and let sit for 15 minutes. Refrigerate for 2 hours or even overnight.
When ready to serve, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 2 minutes. Place scallions on top and cook another minute. Add spinach and cook another minute, then add watercress, cover, and remove from heat. Let sit for a minute, then transfer to serving bowls, with a halved egg on top of each bowl topped with mustard.
Related Links:-
The Importance of (sea)Weed: Wakame
Source: wikipedia
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