I’ve been reading a lot about seaweed and I realize that I want to be eating three portions of it a day. There’s only one small problem.
The Taste!
Let’s face it, people don’t normally start salivating when you mention seaweed. If they don’t automatically say “yuck!” then that’s already a good start. People feel so extremely about seaweed that I have heard more than once, “I would prefer to be dead than to eat seaweed.” It’s really a shame.
Taste is a matter of acclimation and culturalization. For example, the Japanese don’t like sweet foods. Give a Japanese kids a lollipop and they will like the color but not the flavor. Give them a pickle, however and they will be in heaven.
Since culturally, we are not used to eating seaweed, I have been looking for seaweed recipes that people might actually enjoy. Here’s one that I have seen devoured.
This salad is very quick to make, and is enjoyable as light summer dish. The ingredients, cucumber and seaweed are both considered to be among the most cooling foods and are perfect for a hot day. While the ginger heats it up a little bit, if it’s too cold for you, add some hot chili flakes to give it a kick.
Ingredients:
3 cucumbers
1 scallion
1/4 tsp hiziki
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 tsp sesame oil and/or sesame seeds
2 slices pickled ginger
1/4 tsp agave or 2 drops stevia
avocado slices
Soak the hiziki for 10 minutes.
Peel the cucumbers. Slice them thinly, first lengthwise and then the width so that you are left with long skinny slices. Cut these on a diagonal to 1 inch pieces (2 cm). Put them into a serving bowl.
Slice the scallions on an angle to pieces approximately the same size. Arrange the scallions on top of the cucumbers.
Drain and squeeze the excess water out of the hiziki and arrange them on top of the salad.
Slice the ginger into small pieces and place in the center of the bowl in a flower shape.
Pour the dressing on top.
Serve cold.
Note: If you want to cheat and make a quick dressing, just use a tbsp of the pickled ginger marinade. You can add a touch more vinegar if you prefer the dish more sour.
Note: Do not use honey as a sugar substitute as combining scallions and honey will give you a stomach ache.