Seaweeds are omnipresent in Japanese cuisine, they are used in soups, salads, for sushi or to flavour dishes. Very good for health, rich in antioxidants, we will explain their differences and their uses:
- Nori, the most common seaweed in France
- Aonori, in powder form
- Wakame, the seaweed used in miso soup
- Agar agar for Japanese pastries
- Konbu, the basis of dashi
- Hijiki, a seaweed used in sandwiches
- Arame, black seaweed
- Funori, a seaweed for miso soup
- Umibudo, Okinawa seaweed
Nori, the most widespread seaweed in France
The nori 海苔 is the green-black leaf you see around the maki. It is often used for sushi in general. You will find it in a large sheet called yaki nori because these seaweeds are dried and then grilled. You will also find it in thin strips or flakes to sprinkle on your rice, noodles, salads and soups too. Finally you can sprinkle it on all your dishes to season and it does not hurt because it is good for your health!
There are many products derived from nori and especially chips! It is quite tasty but on the other hand we lose the healthy side of seaweed.
Aonori, in powder
Aonori is a seaweed that you can find in powder form. It is much lighter than nori. It is generally used on okonomiyaki and takoyaki yaki udon and miso soup. Aonori is stronger in taste, you should not put too much on your dishes. Its flavor is strong but adds a very pleasant note.
Wakame, the seaweed of miso soup
The wakame ワカメ is the seaweed you find in miso soup! It’s a seaweed that is light on the palate and goes well with miso paste. You will also find it in salad, often served in Japanese restaurants in France accompanied by sesame seeds. Wakame is also used on tofu.
Agar agar, for Japanese pastries
Agar agar is a gelling agent made from seaweed and is used in many traditional Japanese pastries such as yokan for example.Agar agar is a product that was discovered in Japan, it is also called kanten in their country. It is also used to make tokoroten, a Japanese noodle dish.
Konbu, the basis of dashi
Kombu or konbu 昆布 is a very important seaweed in Japanese cuisine as it is used in making dashiKonbu, a basic broth in Japan. Konbu is also used in strips on rice. It is also found in small knots in meat or fish dishes to flavour the whole. You can then compare it to a bouquet garnis in this case. This seaweed has multiple uses, we even find in tea!
Hijiki, a seaweed consumed in sandwiches
The Hijiki is a very brown seaweed, looking like thin noodles. It is a seaweed that can be used in many dishes like soups, salads and even sandwiches. You can simmer it, cook it or steam it. It is advised not to eat more than 5g of hijiki for an adult. Indeed, seaweeds are very good for your health as long as you don’t consume too much. The iodine they contain could have an influence on the thyroid.
Arame, black seaweed
Macrobiotic cooks are familiar with the black seaweed arame as well as the hijiki mentioned above. It is very common in Japan and is used as a side dish, in soups, cakes, salads etc.
Funori, a seaweed for miso soup
Funori is a reddish seaweed which is traditionally used in miso soup like wakame seaweed. It can also be eaten in salads.
Umibudo, the Okinawa seaweed
Umibudo looks like green grapes. This seaweed is mainly found in Okinawa (the southernmost island of Japan) and is also called green caviar or sea grapes. In the mouth you feel the little grapes bursting in your mouth! Surprising! This seaweed is usually eaten as is with sauce. It is said that this seaweed is the secret of longevity of the Japanese of Okinawa. They consume it daily and it is the place in the world where there is the largest number of centenarians.
As we can see, the seaweed is very present in the Japanese cuisine, do not deprive yourself of it because it is very good for health and with a pleasant taste of iodized hazelnut.