Do you know this black thing in the picture?? This may not be something that is familiar with some of you.
This is called HIJIKI which is one of the most popular seaweed in Japan. I always have this dried hijiki seaweed in my pantry since they are packed with fiber, calcium and iron.
It has a little bit of a sea-weedy smell but with my recipe, you won't taste that at all.
More over, it's perfect for meal prep. I always make batch and mix it with sushi rice, top it on a cold noodle or put it in salad.
Mixing with sushi rice!↓
< Hijiki seaweed seasoned with sweetened soy sauce/ ひじき煮>
＜Yield> 3-4 servings
<Prep time> 5 minutes (doesn't including soaking time)
<Cook time> 10 minutes
<Ingredients>
½ carrot
1 piece thin fried tofu OR cooked chick peas
Seasonings
1 ½ cups dashi stock (use kombu stock for vegan option)
3 tablespoons Soy sauce
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Mirin
<Optional toppings>
shiitake mushrooms
edamame
cooked soybeans
<Directions>
1. Soak the dried hijiki seaweed for a minimum of 30 minutes, overnight if possible. Remove the excess oil from the thin fried tofu by pouring boiling water over top of it. Then squeeze the tofu and pat dry.
2. Julian the carrot thinly. Slice the thin fried tofu about the same size as the carrots. Drain the water form the hijiki seaweed. Mix all the seasonings together as listed above.
3. In a pan, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Stir fry the hijiki seaweed over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add in the carrots and thin fried tofu. Stir fry them for another 2-3 minutes. Add in the seasonings and then cook it over high heat until most of the liquid has evaporated. Now it's ready to be enjoyed!
not much liquid is left↓
<Miwa's tips>
・The longer the hijiki is soaked in water the lesser the smell will be. The texture will also be softer.
・Thin fried tofu is usually coated with old oil, it’s very important to remove it before you season them. The hot water needs to be boiling hot.
・You want to cook away all the liquid otherwise the taste will be a bit bland.
<How to make dashi stock with dashi tea bag?>
・I used a dashi packet for making the dashi stock. Let me introduce how to make dashi stock using dashi bag. You can always use dashi powder but the taste is a lot better with the bag.
↓
1. Put 500ml of water and 1 dashi bag in a pot. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat to medium and cook it for another 3-4 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and remove the dashi bag. Now it's ready to be enjoyed!
<Storage time>
Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Store in a freezer for up to 3 weeks.
<MIWA’s recommendations♡>
-Please check out beautiful Japanese tableware to decorate your table! Use my code MIWA to get 5% off from your purchase!
-If you need very sharp quality knife, I highly recommend this handmade Japanese knife made by 80 years old Japanese maker!