Hijiki No Nimono ひじきの煮物 Recipe
Hijiki No Nimono, or Hijiki Stew, is one of our favourite side dishes on the table or in bentos. It's not only tasty, it also boasts of health benefits!
We find Hijiki the most versatile seaweed of all as it doesn't carry the overwhelming smell of seaweed that may be quite off putting in certain cuisines.
Here are some quick ways that you can incorporate Hijiki into your food:
1. Rice
Wash Hijiki with rice grains as you would usually wash your rice, then add water to a suitable level for your rice as you would usually do. Then cook!
2. Quick Side Dish
Soak Hijiki in warm water for approximately 30 minutes, drain for 5~10 minutes, add salt, minced garlic, rice vinegar and sesame oil to taste. Then store in the fridge before serving.
3. Omelettes or Tamagoyaki
Soak Hijiki in room temperature water for 20~30 minutes, drain and add to egg mixture.
Hijiki no Nimono Recipe, adapted from JustOneCookbook
Serves 6~8 pax, or 2 pax for 1 week
Ingredients
- 1 pack of dried Hijiki
- 4 cups water (for soaking)
- 2 pieces of aburaage
- ⅓ konnyaku (konjac) (optional)
- ½-1 carrot
- 1 Tbsp neutral flavour oil
- ⅓ cup shelled edamame (60 g)
- 2 cups dashi (kombu dashi for vegetarian)
Seasonings:
- 4 Tbsp mirin
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 4 Tbsp soy sauce
Instructions
1. Soak Hijiki in 4 cups of water for 30 minutes
2. Drain in a large fine sieve and wash under the running water. Drain and set aside.
3. Boil water in a small saucepan and pour on top of aburaage. This will remove the oil coated on the aburaage (manufacture’s oil doesn’t taste good, so this extra step will improve flavor of aburaage.). Cut in half lengthwise and slice thinly.
4. (Optional) Add water and konnyaku in a small pot and boil for 3 minutes to remove the smell. It also makes konnyaku absorb flavors more and improves the texture.
5. Julienne carrots
6. Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add carrot and cook until they are coated with oil.
7. Add the hijiki, then konnyaku and aburaage. Mix all together.
8. Add the dashi and let it boil.
9. Add all the seasonings and mix well. Cook covered on medium low heat.
10. After 30 minutes, add the edamame.
11. Cook uncovered to reduce the sauce until you see the bottom of the pan. Put the leftover in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
