How to Make Fresh Wakame Seaweed Soup (미역국) - Video Recipe

Fresh Wakame seaweed is in season in spring in Japan!
My mom bought it as a souvenir.

Wakame soup is highly nutritious soup that contains a high content of calcium and iodine.

Most of the time, it is served with Yakiniku (Japanese Grilled Meat / BBQ). Of course it goes great with any kind of dish, especially the rice dish :)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0wDMY8UoSo

You can blanch the fresh Wakame in boiling water (which will turn the natural brown color to the green we are familiar with) and freeze up to a year. When you use, you can just defrost at room temperature or soak in water.

There are many ways to enjoy fresh Wakame seaweed. Leaves can be used for Shabu Shabu (enjoy leaves changing color in hot water and eat with Ponzu sauce), Miso soup, salad, etc… Stems can be used for Tsukudani (simmered dish), Kinpira (stir-fried dish), etc…



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Fresh Wakame Seaweed Soup

Difficulty: Very Easy
Time: 10min
Number of servings: 4

Ingredients:
100g (3.5oz.) fresh Wakame leaves *or rehydrate 4 pinches of dried Wakame in water and drain
A
* 800ml water
* 4 tsp. chicken stock powder *or 2&2/3 tsp. Ajinomoto Hondashi Kombu Dashi stock powder (Vegetarian stock)
B
* chopped long onion
* toasted white sesame seeds
* a dash of sesame oil *or Ra-Yu (hot chili oil)

Directions:
1. Blanch the fresh Wakame leaves in boiling water (which will turn the natural brown color to the green).
2. Put A in a pot and bring to a boil.
3. Add Wakame and cook until hot.
4. Place B in serving bowls.
5. Ladle the soup into the bowls.

レシピ（日本語）
http://cooklabo.blogspot.jp/2014/03/blog-post_25.html
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Kuki Wakame no Tsukudani (Seaweed Stems Boiled Down in Soy Sauce) Recipe
茎わかめの佃煮 レシピ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkSmR9XF3nc

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Ikanago no Kugini 2014

Again, Ikanago is in season =)

"Ikanago no Kugini" (いかなごのくぎ煮) is my favorite Tsukudani (food boiled down in soy sauce) made with Ikanago (sand eel/sand lance).

Ikanago no Kugini is a famous Tsukudani in Hyogo prefecture. My grandma, who lives there cooks a few kilograms of Ikanago no Kugini every year for us in Tokyo.

It is usually cooked and eaten around the end of February or early March, when the fish is about an inch long. After its season, Ikanago goes deep in the sea where is cooler. Then it goes under the sand and aestivate.

This year she sent us in the beginning of March again, with some local sweets :)





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How to Make Kuki Wakame no Tsukudani (Wakame Seaweed Stems Boiled Down in Soy Sauce) - Video Recipe

Fresh Wakame (seaweed) is in season in spring in Japan!
My mom bought it as a souvenir. wow

I love Kuki Wakame no Tsukudani (Wakame Seaweed Stems Boiled Down in Soy Sauce) which my grandma makes, so I decided to make it with the stems.

It goes great with white rice and perfect for bento box :)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkSmR9XF3nc

You can blanch the fresh Wakame in boiling water (which will turn the natural brown color to the green) and freeze up to a year. When you use, you can just defrost at room temperature or soak in water.

There are many ways to enjoy fresh Wakame. Leaves can be used for Shabu Shabu (enjoy leaves changing color in hot water and eat with Ponzu sauce), Miso soup, salad, etc… Stems can be used for Tsukudani (simmered dish), Kinpira (stir-fried dish), etc…



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Kuki Wakame no Tsukudani (Wakame Seaweed Stems Boiled Down in Soy Sauce)

Difficulty: Easy
Time: 30min
Number of servings: N/A

Ingredients:
200g (7oz.) fresh Wakame seaweed stems
200g (7oz.) Enokitake (Enoki mushrooms)
100g (3.5oz.) Shimeji mushrooms
80g (3oz.) boiled Zenmai (Osmunda japonica)
2 dried Shiitake mushrooms
150ml hot water
A
* 3 tbsp. Sake
* 3 tbsp. Mirin (sweet Sake)
* 3 tbsp. sugar
* 6 tbsp. soy sauce
3 tbsp. ground toasted white sesame seeds

Directions:
1. Blanch the fresh Wakame stems in boiling water (which will turn the natural brown color to the green we are familiar with).
2. Soak dried Shiitake mushrooms in 150ml hot water until they become soft (after 15 minutes or so). Then thinly slice them. Reserve the soaking liquid.
3. Thinly slice Wakame stems. Remove tough base of Enoki mushrooms and cut in half. Remove tough base of Shimeji mushrooms and break into pieces. Cut boiled Zenmai into bite-size length.
4. Place the reserved Shiitake soaking liquid and A in a pot, and bring to a boil. Add the cut ingredients, then cook on medium (stirring once in a while) until the liquid is almost gone for about 15 minutes.
5. Mix in ground toasted white sesame seeds to finish.

You can keep it in the fridge for a week. Or in the freezer for 1-2 months but it may get soggy. In that case, you want to simmer it again to dry out the excess liquid.

レシピ（日本語）
http://cooklabo.blogspot.jp/2014/03/blog-post_19.html
---------------------------------

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