hijiki salad
Author: 
Serves: 4-6
 
Ingredients
  • ½ cup dried hijiki seaweed (about 1 ounce)
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • ⅛ cup mirin
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1½ cups dashi (The original recipe called for dashi powder but I made my own -- see note below. Also, you can use water instead, but the overall flavor isn't as full and oceany.)
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 medium-large carrots, cut into 3-inch matchsticks
  • 3 eggs, beaten (the original recipe calls for ½ cup thinly sliced fried tofu -- see note below)
  • 1½ tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • Black sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
  1. In a bowl, cover the hijiki with the dashi and let stand for 45 minutes. Drain, pressing out any excess water. In a small bowl, combine the soy, mirin, and sugar.
  2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan. Beat eggs in a small bowl with a splash of water. Cook beaten eggs into a large flat omelet. Remove from pan and set aside to cool slightly. Cut omelet into long, thin strips.
  3. Add the carrots and cook over high heat for 1 minute. Stir in the hijiki. Add the soy mixture and simmer over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are tender and the liquid is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in egg strips. Transfer the hijiki salad to a bowl and refrigerate until chilled, 1 hour at least.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar with the sesame oil. Add the dressing to the salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.
Notes
Notes: Dashi powder and fried tofu (abura-age) are available at Japanese markets, per the original recipe notes.

Make Ahead: The hijiki salad can be refrigerated overnight.
Primary Dashi (Ichiban Dashi)*
minimally adapted from Shizuo Tsuji's book Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art.

1 (4-inch) piece of dried konbu (about 1 ounce or 30 grams)
1 quart of cold water
1 small package bonito flakes (1 ounce or 30 grams)

1. Fill pot with water and add konbu.
2. Bring to almost a boil, uncovered. (Konbu has a strong odor if boiled so remove just before the water boils.) It should be soft (use your thumbnail to check) when most of the flavor has been extracted. Remove it from the pot.
3. Boil the water fully now. Add ¼ cup water to bring down the temperature and add the bonito flakes. Bring to full boil and remove from heat.**
4. Allow flakes to settle to the bottom of the pot (about 1 minute). Remove foam and filter through cheesecloth. Reserve the bonito flakes and konbu for secondary dashi.

Keeps for 1 week in the fridge, or 1 month if frozen.

* There is also a Secondary Dashi (Niban Dashi) best used for seasoning thick soups, noodle broths, and a cooking stock for vegetables. Primary Dashi is best for clear soups. Since this hijiki salad had other seasoning included, I opted to use the Primary Dashi recipe here.

** If the stock boils too long or the stock becomes too strong or bitter, it is not recommended to use in clear soups. Use it as a secondary-type dashi instead.
Recipe by story of a kitchen at https://www.storyofakitchen.com/salad-recipes/hijiki-salad/