What is Hijiki Salad?
Hijiki salad is a popular Japanese side dish made from the dark green hijiki seaweed. The seaweed is flash sautéed with a little bit of carrot, aburaage tofu, and edamame. The salad is seasoned with soy sauce, mirin, dashi, and sesame seeds and sesame oil. The salad is mild yet flavorful with salty, sweet and umami. The texture offers some crunch and the dish is served warm.
Ingredients
Tofu is also known as bean curd and is a product made by coagulating soy milk and pressing it into blocks. These blocks vary from silky soft, to firm and semi-dense. Tofu is white or off white. Soft tofu has a high water content and falls apart easily, while firmer tofu can look almost grainy with a mouthfeel that is firm and lacking in graininess. Because the flavor of tofu is bland and mild it is an excellent protein to heavily season as it acts like a sponge and absorbs flavor. Tofu is used in many East and Southeast Asian dishes.
Carrots are a root vegetable with feathery green tops and long tapered orange colored roots. Some carrot varieties are purple or yellow, but orange is the most common. The carrot can be up to a foot in length. It has a dense, woody texture that is nonetheless very chewable and non-fibrous. Its flavor is sweet and a bit earthy. Carrots are eaten raw, cooked and used in cuisines across the world.
Soy sauce is a liquid condiment and seasoning made from fermented soybeans. Traditionally it was been made with just soy, many versions and brands use wheat as well. Soy sauce is dark brown with a thin viscosity. The flavor is intensely salty and umami. Soy sauce is used to season meats, seafood and vegetables, it is also used in sauces to perk up the flavor of the food and enhance other tastes.
Mirin is a condiment used in East Asian cuisine and is a type of rice wine with a higher sugar content and lower alcohol content. It is clear with a yellowy hue and a thin viscosity. This sweet rice wine is used as a seasoning in grains, meats and vegetables. The flavor is sweet and a little bit vinegary, with a hint of alcohol.
Hijiki seaweed is a type of seaweed known to East Asia. It is often harvested near coastlines and when dried looks like dry black tea leaves or thin and short twigs. It is branch-like in its shape and has a flavor that is nutty and fishy. Once rehydrated its texture is less slimy than other seaweed varieties. It is extremely versatile and readily available in East Asia. Hijiki can be used to make seaweed salads, add to soups or any other number of savory dishes.
Rice vinegar is sometimes confused with rice wine vinegar and while both are made from fermented rice, each is different. Rice vinegar is made by fermenting the sugars in rice and then turning it into an acid. Rice vinegar is more delicate than other vinegars, such as white or red. The flavor of this pale yellow liquid is tangy, sweet and mild. It is used as a seasonings in some East Asian cuisines.
Canola oil is a popular and readily available oil in America, due to its inexpensive price and neutral flavor. Canola oil comes from the rapeseed plant, the oil is pressed from the seeds and has a yellow color. It is a thin oil that is best for medium high heat, such as sautéing, though is commonly used for deep frying. Canola can be found in baked good, salad dressings, and a vast variety of food products.
Sesame oil is pressed and extracted from sesame seeds. Sesame is a tiny seed with an earthy and nutty flavor. The sesame ranges in neutral colors from white to black. Raw sesame oil is yellow. Roasted sesame oil is a light to medium shade of brown. The raw, or non-roasted oil has a milder taste than the roasted variety and is more multi-purpose, whereas the oil from roasted sesame seeds lends a deep, earthy flavor that pairs well in East Asian dishes and is used as a flavoring.
Sugar comes from sugar cane and sugar beets. The sugar is extracted from the juice of both plants and refined into the granulated substance known as sugar. Sucrose, the sweet substance of sugar is a combination of glucose and fructose. White sugar is composed of tiny white, dry granules. The flavor is sweet and neutral. Brown sugar is brown and has more moisture, with a richer flavor that hints at molasses. Sugar is used in both sweet and savory foods.
Dashi powder is made from bonito flakes, which are small tissue paper thin flakes of dried skipjack tuna. It can also be made from kombu seaweed or sardines. Sometimes all three ingredients are used. The powder is made from any or all items. The powder is often a tan/beige color and looks more like granules than fine powder. The flavor is salty, fishy, and richly umami. Dashi powder is used to make a quick broth for Japanese dishes, in place of homemade dashi broth.
Black sesame are tiny seeds that are hard, but chewable and have a mild nutty flavor that is distinct. Black sesame is used as a flavor and garnish across cuisines, though can be found commonly in East Asian dishes.
