Sea Vegetables -The Super food of the Sea.
Sea vegetables are a range of marine algae that are available to purchase in health food stores and Asian food stores that can be added to our diet on a daily basis. They are rich in nutrients and minerals and trace elements and are known as the super food of the sea.
Sea vegetables contain more than 10 times the amount of minerals over land vegetables. They contain; calcium, iron, phosphorous, sodium, zinc, folate (which has been shown to reduce colon cancer) and iodine which is available in the human body to be absorbed easily. Also included are vitamins A, C and the B group. Studies have documented that seaweed has components that assist in reducing inflammation, and lowering blood pressure and fight tumour growth.
Sea vegetables are also antinuke. This means, that they bind with radioactive substances in the body and assist the body in releasing them.
Most of the population in the western world consumes sea vegetables daily without realizing it. They are present in ice cream, puddings, bottled sauces, cheeses and even toothpaste. They are used to thicken products and act as stabilizers.They offer strong alkalinity required to maintain good health. They assist with helping water metabolism and cleansing lymph fluid.
Eaten regularly in Asian diets, they add a much need source of additional nutrition lacking in many diets in the West. They are easy to prepare and tasty, although some are stronger in flavor with fishy flavors.
When and How to use sea vegetables:
Regular Use: (daily or often)
• Agar-agar; Vegetarian Alternative to gelatine. These little flakes are added to liquid to make gels, like puddings and aspics.
• Dulse; A reddish purple sea vegetables, can be used in soups, side dishes and salads.
• Kelp Powder: Often used as a condiment and sprinkled on foods.
• Korengo: A New Zealand native sea algae. Add to soups, side dishes and casseroles style meals.
• Spiralina: An algae powder used as a whole food supplement.
• Toasted Nori Sheets; can be eaten in sheets used in a roll as sushi or cooked into a condiment. Nori sheets should be toasted over an open flame for a few minutes (they turn from dark to green).
• Wakame; A long thin sea vegetable. Can be used in soups, pressed into pressed salads, baked or ground into a condiment.
• Kombu; Japanese Kelp. It comes in thick wide straps. It is then soaked and used in bean dishes to make them more digestible and to add minerals. It can be added to grains, instead of salt and in broth for noodles and nabe dishes.
• Wakame and Kombu are used regularly in soups, bean and vegetable dishes.
They may be eaten by themselves, sprinkled over grains, or used to make nori condiment or vegetable sushi.
Occasional Use (small two-thirds cup servings, including the vegetables, two or three times per week).
• Arame; Thin, dark strands, it is usually sautéed with vegetables. (no soaking required)
• Hiziki; the strongest sea vegetable, it comes in long or short wiry “strings” and has the most fishy flavour. It is best sautéed with other vegetables. It needs to be soaked before cooking it.
• Note; Hiziki has a stronger flavour than Arame. For Westerners who are not accustomed to sea vegetables, it might be easier to start with Arame, cooked with sweet vegetables. The taste for sea vegetables develops over time and more complex recipes or combination may be incorporated.
Suggestions for Sea Vegetable Recipes;
• Arame or Hiziki with onions.
• Arame of Hiziki with sweet corn.
• Arame or Hiziki with tempeh and Lotus Root.
• Arame or Hiziki with dried diakon and onions.
Sample Sea Vegetable Recipes;
Arame with Onions
1. Wash and drain on ounce of dried Arame, medium handful. Brush the frying pan with 1 TSP light or dark sesame oil and heat it. Add the onions and sauté for two to three minutes (water sauté if oil is to be avoided). Carrot, dried diakon, rutabaga, sweet corn or other vegetables may also be added.
2. Place the arame on top of the onions and add enough water to cover the onions.
3. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down to low, and add a small amount of shoyu /soy sauce.
4. Cover and simmer for about 20-25 minutes. Add shoyu to taste (not overly salty).
5. Simmer for another five to ten minutes, mix and stir until the liquid has evaporated.
Note; Hiziki should be cooked longer, up to one and one-quarter to one and one-half hours total cooking time in order to lose its bitterness and become sweet.
Hiziki with Vegetables;
Serves 4
Hiziki has a slightly fishy taste, and may take a little getting used to.
Medium handful of dried hiziki, soaked in spring water for 30 minutes
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 onion, sliced into half moons
Pinch sea salt
Spring water
1 tablespoon shoyu
1 tablespoon mirin (rice wine sauce)
1 medium carrot. Sliced into match sticks
Scallions (spring onions), sliced for garnish.
Method;
Soak the hiziki in spring water, chop the vegetables. When the hiziki is softened, discard the soaking water and chop into 1 inch pieces. Heat the sesame oil over a medium heat in a pan with a lid. Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes, adding the salt. Add the hiziki and sauté with the onion, coating it lightly in oil. Add water halfway up the hiziki and onion. Bring to the boil and add shoyu and mirin. Cover and let simmer 30 minutes. Add carrot matchsticks on top. Let simmer 10 more minutes.
Garnish with spring onions.
Variations; if using arame, rinse the arame (no soaking required) and reduce cooking time by 10 minutes. Also can add, corn, green beans or snow peas.
Baked Wakame with Onion and Squash
Serves 4 – 6
2 cups onions, sliced in thin half moons
1 cup wakame, soaked and sliced into 2 inch pieces (reserve soaking water for this recipe)
2 tablespoons sesame tahini
1 teaspoon shoyu
½ small buttercup or butternut squash, thinly sliced (unpeeled if organic)
Preheat oven to 350F.Place onion is a saucepan with a small amount of wakame soaking water. Bring to the boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove and place in a small casserole dish. Mix wakame with onion. Dilute tahini with about half the wakame soaking water and shoyu. Mix the wakame with onion. Smooth mixture evenly over the top unitl evenly in the casserole dish, and layer slice squash over the top till covered. Cover and bake in oven for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 10 – 15 minutes to remove any excess liquid and slightly brown the top.
Recipes supplied by The Kushi Instiutute-Beckett,Mass
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