Japanese cuisine · Salads & Mezze

Hijiki no Nimono

Hijiki seaweed simmered tender with carrot and fried tofu in dashi, soy sauce, and mirin.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 30g dried hijiki seaweed
• 1 carrot
• 2 sheets aburaage (fried tofu)
• 300ml dashi
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Soak the hijiki in plenty of cold water for 20 minutes until it swells to five times its size, then rinse in a sieve and squeeze out well.
2. Pour boiling water over the aburaage to release the frying fat, squeeze it out, and cut into 5mm wide strips; cut the carrot into fine matchsticks.
3. Heat the sesame oil in a pot and sauté the carrot and hijiki over medium heat for 3 minutes, until the seaweed glistens and smells of the sea.
4. Add the aburaage, pour in the dashi, and stir in the soy sauce, mirin, and sugar; bring to a boil once and skim off the foam.
5. Simmer uncovered over gentle heat for 15–18 minutes, until almost all the liquid has cooked away and only a moist sheen remains on the bottom – stir twice during this time.
6. Remove from the heat, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds, and serve warm or cold; it keeps in the fridge for three days.