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SOURCES
• What food is that and how healthy is it? Jo Rogers
• The cook's book of ingredients Margaret Brooker
• Wholefoods: A cook's kitchen handbook Nicola Graimes
• spiralfoods.com.au
• seahealthproducts.com.au
• marinova.com.au |
Seaweeds are marine algae and their distinctive colour distinguishes them from terrestrial plants. While sea vegetables have formed a staple part of Asian diets for many centuries, their health benefits and enormous variety are relatively new to the West. Sea vegetables can be used in variously in stews, stir-fries and soups as well as a setting agent in desserts such as cheesecakes, jellies and mousses. They can be used as a feature ingredient, a seasoning or to add substance and texture.
Nutrition Seaweeds are a rich source of many minerals, including manganese, zinc, selenium, chromium, molybdenum, cobalt, copper and nickel; a significant source of calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium and phosphorous and an excellent source of iodine. Quantities depend on where sea vegetables are sourced and they may contain worrisome levels of arsenic. Care must be taken not to consume too much seaweed as one teaspoon typically contains fifteen times the recommended daily iodine intake and regularly consuming large amounts may cause goitre.
The minerals in seaweeds benefit the nervous system as they help reduce stress, aid metabolism and boost the immune system. Studies have shown some seaweeds such as arame, wakame and kombu contain alginic acid, which binds with heavy metals, including lead, radium, mercury and cadmium in the intestine, helping to eliminate them from the body. Polysaccharides, laminarin, mannitol and alginic acid are the main carbohydrates found in sea vegetables. Alginic acid and agar are used to change the consistency and texture of food, for example, when making jelly. Seaweeds contain less than 1% fat, are rich in the antioxidant beta carotene and contain some of the B group vitamins. According to some sources, seaweeds can help reduce cholesterol levels, improve skin clarity and the lustre of hair.
Buying and storing Seaweed is typically sold dried and keeps indefinitely as long as it is stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark dry place. In contrast, fresh seaweed only keep for one to two days in the fridge and need to be rinsed well before use.
Preparation and cooking Preparing seaweeds varies greatly. Some need to be soaked for long periods and then cooked while others simply need rinsing and soaking for a few minutes to make them tender enough to eat. That said, most seaweeds expand substantially so remember to only use a small amount. More details are provided with the different types below.
Agar agar
Agar agar can be used to replace gelatine in savoury and sweet dishes such as custards, soups, flans, cheesecakes, mousses and jellies. It’s made from eight different types of red seaweed and can be bought as flakes, strands, shreds, sticks or as a powder, all of which need to be dissolved in water before use. Some sources suggest it can be used as a laxative. Agar agar is taste neutral and has stronger setting properities than gelatine – it can withstand boiling water and doesn’t require refrigeration. Consequently, only a small amount is required, although its gelling abilities will vary depending on the other ingredients present in the dish so you may need to experiment if using it to replace gelatine. As a general guide, 10g of agar agar will set 600ml of liquid.
RECIPE To make a fruit-flavoured jelly: place 10g agar agar flakes in a saucepan with 300ml cold water and leave to soak for 15 minutes. Next, bring the water to boil and simmer until the flakes have dissolved before stirring in 300ml of fresh juice. Lastly, pour the liquid into the desired mould and then leave to cool and set before serving chilled.
Arame
Arame is a stringy, black seaweed, typically with a wide leaf that is sliced into delicate thin strips before being sold. It is harvested in spring, sorted by hand and cooked for seven hours before being sun-dried. As it has a slightly sweet, mild flavour, arame makes a good seaweed to try if you haven’t eaten sea vegetables before. It’s high in calcium, iron and iodine and is recommended for high blood pressure and to treat female disorders. Cooking and soaking times for arame vary depending on how it’s going to be used. For example, it can be added straight to moist dishes such as soups and noodles that are cooked slowly but must be soaked before being added to salads and stir-fries. Arame should be rinsed under running water using a sieve and then placed in a bowl, covered with cold water and left to soak five minutes. Once it has doubled in volume, drain and place in a saucepan before adding fresh water, bringing to the boil and simmering for 20 minutes until tender.
Dulse
Dulse (Rhodymenia palmata) is a typical seaweed in terms of nutritional value and contains high levels of iron, phosphorous, potassium, manganese and iodine. Dulse is a coarse red to purple sea vegetable with flat fronts and broad leaves that can grow up to 30cm in length. It’s chewy in texture and has a spicy flavour when cooked. Dulse must be soaked until tender before eating, after which it can be eaten raw in salads or added to vegetable dishes, soups and noodle dishes. Toasted dulse can also be crumbled and used as a garnish or to flavour soaps or even chewed. It is mainly eaten in northern Europe, especially Iceland, Scotland and Ireland but is also harvested commercially in Canada and the US and traded on both sides of the Atlantic. Dulse keeps indefinitely and is typically sold dry in both shredded and sheet form.
Kelp
Kelp refers to any of the large brown seaweeds with thick, sometimes ribbon-like, leaves. This sea vegetable has a long history and has been used by the Greeks, Chinese and Romans as a fertiliser and food medicine. Pliny the Elder praised it in his natural history book in the first century AD. Americans in the northwest Pacific prepared it by peeling the hollow middle ribs, cutting them into slices and then pickling them in a sweet and sour liquid made from sugar, vinegar and various spices. Kelp is made into kombu in Japan via a complicated series of drying, boiling and compressions while it is boiled and reduced for a long time in Ireland to make a thick green gruel typically served with mutton.
Golden kelp meal is high in fibre, builds energy and is rich in vitamins A, B, C and E and has more than 60 minerals, including potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc, iron and trace elements. It also contains natural sea salt and is an excellent source of natural organic iodine. Kelp powder can be used as a gourmet seasoning, a salt alternative, a condiment sprinkled on food, in cooking or mixed with a fruit drink. Kelp powder may also be added in very small quantities to stews and casseroles and sprinkled on salads. Commercially, it is added to ice cream, prepared desserts and salad dressings. It is sold dry in granules, powder or tablet form and keeps for long periods when stored in a cool dry place.
• We stock golden kelp meal from Sea Health Products, a long-established commercial operation drawing from a sustainable supply of kelp and holding a Marine Vegetation Collection Permit. It is hand selected from waters off the Australian coast; the stems and extraneous sea matter are removed; hand-washed and sun-dried to preserve flavour and valuable nutrients; and then milled and packed into sealed containers within a week of collection.
Kombu
Kombu is grey black to deep olive green in colour and grows best in cool, clean deep ocean waters. It is made from the thick, wide leafed ribbon-like kelp, Laminarai japonica, after a complicated series of drying, boiling and compressions. Kombu is most commonly harvested in Japan, particularly near Hokkaido, the northern most island of Japan, but is also farmed in Britain. It has a very strong flavour and is typically sold in sun-dried 30cm long strips that vary from 6cm to 30cm in width. It has a long history as well, with some of the planet’s oldest surviving writings and paintings depicting seaweed-gathering. Kombu is an excellent source of phosphorous and calcium, higher in iodine than other seaweeds and rich in potassium, iron and sodium. It is naturally used in MSG. As dried kombu develops salt speckles, the leathery dried strands should be gently wiped using a damp clean cloth but not washed before use. Lightly scoring the surface with a sharp knife releases the flavour and a piece of kombu may be used to make stock several times, although flavour declines with each use. Kombu is a vital ingredient in Japanese cooking, giving dishes a characteristic flavour of the sea, and is combined with shitake mushrooms and bonito flakes to make the traditional Japanese stock dashi. It may be crumbled over hot rice, used in slow-cooked dishes, to flavour soup and sauce stock, sautéed or deep fried. A stick of kombu can be added to pulses during cooking to soften them, increase their nutritional value and digestibility. It’s also widely used in Korean cooking, especially in hot, strong-flavoured soups containing chilli.
 Nori yaki
Nori yaki is a dried sea vegetable from various species of the pophra genus of red algae and is also known as laver or sloke. It’s most commonly sold in thin sheets, ranging in colour from deep bright green (toasted) to dull purple black (untoasted) and has a mild refreshing ocean flavour and delicate crisp texture. Nori is one of the few sea vegetables that does not require soaking and may be eaten raw or toasted. It is a typical seaweed nutritionally. In Japan, it is harvested from bamboo stakes – to which the seaweed attaches – that have been placed in sheltered waters including Toyko Bay; it’s also harvested from the ocean in the cooler parts of Europe. Once collected, the frothy alga is placed on bamboo trays and left to dry in the sun before being compressed into thin sheets and cut into 23cm squares. While fresh nori may be used in soups and stews, it’s most commonly used in dried sheet form. Nori makes an edible wrapper for Japanese rice cakes and sushi. Finely-cut shreds are also scattered over noodles, rice dishes and soups as a garnish in northern China, Japan and Korea. To make laver bread in Wales, nori is boiled into a thick puree and mixed with oatmeal.
To toast nori, hold the sheet 10cm above a low gas flame or warm electric hot plate and move it around quickly so it toasts evenly and turns bright green and crispy. (If you feel you could scorch your fingers, use a pair of tongs to hold the nori sheet.) After leaving it to cool for a minute, crumble the nori and use it to garnish stir-fries or soups or sprinkle over salad. Nori must be stored in dry airtight conditions away from moisture otherwise it may attract mildew.
Wakame
Wakame (undaria pinnatifida) is a leafy vegetable that belongs to the brown algae group and is also known as salad seaweed or lobe-leaf. It has curly feather-like leaves, grows in strong cold ocean currents and is hand-harvested from the ocean floor. In dried form, wakame may be almost black or brown and can confused with kombu. However, unlike kombu, wakame becomes a deep to delicate green when cooked or soaked and expands greatly. It is typically sold dried and must be soaked in cold water before use. Wakame is mild in flavour and is one of the most versatile sea vegetables. In terms of nutrition, it is a typical seaweed, being high in calcium, vitamins B and C, and low in kilojoules and has long been popular with Japanese women because it is considered excellent for both the complexion and figure! Wakame is used extensively in Japanese, Korean and northern Chinese cooking. It can be soaked and used raw in salads and raw blended soups or cooked and added to soups and simmered dishes or toasted, crumbled and used as a condiment. It should only be cooked briefly so its nutrients and flavour are retained. After softening in cold water, drain and simmer for a few minutes in stock or boiling water. Drain and serve with a vinegar dressing, in a salad or add it to soups and other dishes in the final minutes of cooking.
• Our wakame is produced by Marinova who are based in Tasmania, home to arguably the world’s cleanest ocean. It meets organic certification standards.
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