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Japan is a country that has dominated the world because of its extraordinary sense of cinema and appetising food. Japanese Ghibli movies have acquainted the world with the whimsical food culture of Japan and how people consider eating a very mindful aspect of their everyday lives. People in Japan like to take their meals very seriously, which is reflected in their eating habits and culinary culture. There are a lot of out-of-the-box ingredients that are used in Japanese cuisine that one will not find being used in other countries. One such food item is seaweed.
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Seaweed is a type of aquatic plant that is very popular in a lot of Southeast Asian countries and used for consumption purposes. How many times have you looked at the seaweed and thought it was something unfit for consumption? Well, let us break it to you: you are not the only one because the appearance of seaweed can be a bit deceptive. The ones with high amounts of fibre, such as the green algae and the red algae, are generally used in different types of countries, such as Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia, for cooking different types of food items.
In terms of its taste, many people define it as subtly fishy, and it tastes like something that has been obtained from an ocean. However, what is important to note is that seaweed is generally not very overpowering in taste and has minimal flavours. Here is a look at some of the most popular dishes made in Japan with seaweed.
Also Read: Why Eat Seaweed? Here Are Your Answers
* Sushi Rolls With Seaweed
One of the most popular and global uses of seaweed is to wrap it around sushi rolls. It is a common practice that is followed not just in Japan but also around the world, and it is one of the reasons why seaweed has become so massively popular. It is important to note that to make sushi rolls, only the special type of seaweed called nori, which is obtained from red algae from the ocean, is used. It is first dried and then converted into the form of a sheet to make sushi rolls. Not only does it help give an aquatic flavour to the sushi rolls, but it also provides a crispy exterior.
* Onigiri
Onigiri is another very famous dish in Japan that is made from white rice, and people often perceive it as a variation of sushi. However, onigiri is very different from sushi and generally has a savoury flavour with some or the other filling inside. The filling is generally of salted salmon, tarako, mentaiko, or any other such ingredient. The most distinctive aspect of this Japanese snack is the use of a nori seaweed wrap on the top that gives it its special look. It is a very comforting and basic dish made from steamed rice and a handful of other ingredients, along with a seaweed sheet.
* Miso Soup
Miso soup is a very famous Japanese soup that has been made in the country for hundreds of years now. It is a very subtle and soft soup that consists of a satisfying stock with many regional spices. Although the dish has a lot of variations depending on the area where it is made, one ingredient that is common in all these recipes is seaweed. The special wakame seaweed is used to make this soup, along with tofu. These two ingredients are the most important aspect of making miso soup. Wakame has a very minimally sweet and fresh flavour.
* Chuka Wakame
As the name suggests, this dish is made with wakame seaweed seasoned with some other spices to make a salad-like side dish. It is often consumed as an appetiser just before starting the main course meal. The dish is fresh and crunchy. It can be consumed on its own or can be added with some other ingredients to make a more elaborate salad. The other thing that one can do is to add this to soups or other such dishes to give them extra flavours. In terms of its appearance, the dish has an algae-like green colour.
* Sunomono
Sunomono is a very famous type of seaweed salad that is made in Japan. The popularity of this salad can be attributed to the fact that it is extremely healthy, refreshing, and crunchy in texture. Just like a lot of other recipes on this list, this salad is also made by using wakame seaweed. The seaweed, along with some other ingredients is mixed with slices of cucumber as well as some soy sauce to give it a very sweet and sour kind of taste. This kind of salad is perfect for people who like to have flavourful appetisers.
* Seaweed Tempura
A seaweed tempura is a type of Japanese chip or light pakora that is crispy, light, and extremely appetising. One could also find it in supermarkets being sold as a packaged snack. The most significant aspect of this fritter is that it is Friday and peanut oil, which gives it a very zesty and heavy flavour of peanut oil. It also has subtle hints of tempura. It is the perfect snack for someone who wants to have a light and crispy item that they can enjoy with their evening cup of tea.
