Seaweed salad?
Ayo- love seaweed salad, but I'm not sure what types are commonly used. Would love any advice about the beat types to use! Seems like something that would make for a good summer lunch to take to work. For reference, i have access tona few small asian grocery stores and whole foods, although there's a bunch in the suburbs I could go to in theory. Thanks yall.
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RE: Sesame dressing. A post here made me quest for a good bottled 'goma' dressing.
I used to knock myself out making Goma sauce (sesame dressing) from scratch. Toasting grinding, adjusting etc..etc.
Then I found "Kewpie" sesame dressing. I've tried many other brands but this spot on for cold spinach dressed salad, noodles etc. Drawback--it's expensive. But the flavor is great..and another drawback; it does have some MSG in it...but then again most Japanese stuff has some form of msg. Be it mushroom extract, kombu, or other seaweeds, or the processed crystals. I'm not MSG adverse as it does (in correct amounts) add to the taste for the dishes. I think it gets bad rep because of over use in fast foods/soups/etc.
I bought a bag dried. You have to soak, drain and rinse at least 3 times. It is generally dirty stuff. Once you get it clean the flavor is still very strong, so it is best incorporated into salads that include a mix of other ingredients. Like this, I enjoy it :)
One of the tastiest and easiest ways to enjoy seaweed in a salad is to buy nori (can find everywhere nowadays), and cut into thin shreds. Just before serving, sprinkle on top like a garnish. Best coupled with sesame seeds (white or black) and a ginger-based dressing.
At the restaurant where I used to work they served a salad which was Atlantic seaweed that came from Maine (dulse?), that came with a sesame dressing and salad greens. It was extremely satisfying! And let me tell you. That stuff with clean out your system. (Sorry if that grosses you out.) Similarly to Hijiki, it had to be rinsed and soaked in many changes of water to get out the fishy flavor. Worth the work.
This sounds strange....but to me the dried wakame tastes very similar to collard greens.
I love it tho, in a sunomo seafood salad with vinegar, cucumbers, crab (or KRAB for cheap), octopus, or even shrimp.
And now I get to push one of my favorite cook books. Japaneese Cooking a Simple Art.
It's one of those cookbooks you read. The first part is all about the settings, traditions, the choices of dishes to balance a meal, seasons, techniques, the order of meal etc. The other half is recipes. The section on salad is brief but lists a nice grid of types of dressing. Followed by examples.
http://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Cooking-Simple-Shizuo-Tsuji/dp/0870113992
spuntino: I like wakame for miso soup and salads. Here is a really nice cucumber salad that uses wakame. It is so delicious.
http://www.willystreet.coop/recipe/cucumber_and_wakame_salad