Kombu algae: description, photo, useful properties, uses and recipes

The Japanese islands are surrounded on all sides by the ocean, so it is not surprising that the menu of the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun consists of 80% of the seafood. And this is not only waterfowl, but also plants. Algae alone are 30 species in Japan.

Among them, a combo stands out. The scientific name of this alga is Japanese kelp. In Korea, the plant is called tashima, and in China - haidai. But in Japan, they managed to develop several varieties of kombu that differ in taste: karafuto, ma, mitsushi, naga, risiri.

Although most algae farms are concentrated in Hokkaido, it has become a staple for the inhabitants of all islands. In Japan, kombu is as popular as cabbage or potatoes in Russia. Soups are cooked from it, main dishes and even desserts are made. This article will discuss how to cook kombu algae. In addition to recipes, the beneficial properties of this plant will be described.

What do Russian consumers need to know about combo?

If you get to the city of Osaka, then there you can buy about a hundred varieties of Japanese kelp. It is sold fresh for sashimi. Algae marinated in vinegar is called su kombu. You can also purchase seaweed strips in soy sauce with mirin.

With green tea, the Japanese eat a special appetizer - stalks of kombu in a sweet and sour marinade. You can also make a drink from seaweed. Kombutia is tea brewed from kelp grated into powder. But since the product is imported to Russia, dried seaweed is most often found in specialized stores (photo combos are presented in the article).

A packaged product is most often represented by dashi (dried strips or powder), as well as doro (shavings). You can still find canned or freshly frozen algae. The Japanese use each kind for certain dishes. But since mainly dried seaweed is available in Russia, it is worth considering what can be prepared from them.

Useful properties of combo

Before giving recipes for dishes that include Japanese kelp, let's study the chemical composition of the plant. You should know that the upper parts of the algae are less rich in nutrients than the basal ones.

But they also contain a lot of iodine, which is important for the thyroid gland. The whole plant is rich in vitamin A, the entire line of B, C and E, as well as minerals - sodium, calcium, potassium, manganese, phosphorus, iron, zinc, magnesium and copper.

Kombu algae are valued for their glutamic acid. It is a natural flavor enhancer. But glutamic acid also provides invaluable benefits for the body, as it normalizes metabolism and strengthens the immune system.

Protein contained in algae slows down aging, and fiber cleanses the stomach and helps digestion. If you often eat combo, you can prevent the risk of cardiovascular disease and clogged veins.

Dashi broth for miso soup

As in Ukraine borsch, and in Russia cabbage soup, so this soup is popular in Japan. There are hundreds of varieties of miso. In each family, it is cooked in its own way. But, despite the huge number of species, the two components of the soup remain unchanged. This is a miso-paste of soy and dashi - kombu seaweed broth.

You can prepare the last miso ingredient in larger quantities. Dashi will be the basis for other Japanese soups or seasoning for boiled rice. This broth is boiled with fish, less often - with seafood.

1. Put a small piece of dried seaweed in a saucepan along with 20 grams of tuna.
2. Fill with four glasses of water. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat and cook for 5 minutes.
4. We filter the dashi broth.

Now you can start cooking the miso soup itself.

Salmon Noodle Soup

Consider the most common version of the famous Japanese dish - with fish.

1. Add 200 grams of salmon cut into small pieces into strained dashi made from seaweed kombu and tuna.
2. Cook until the fish is ready.
3. Pour a soup ladle into a bowl.
4. Add soya paste for miso. She is red. In Japan, it is called akamiso. There is also a white paste based on rice, barley or wheat, as well as mixed varieties. For this recipe (with salmon) we use three tablespoons of akamiso.
5. Thoroughly dilute the mixture. Pour back into the saucepan.
6. Add a teaspoon of other dried seaweed - wakame. Let’s wait a minute until they get worn out.
7. In parallel with the process of cooking miso, boil egg noodles in salted water.
8. Let's trace it from boiling water.
9. Finely chop a few feathers of green onions.

Miso is traditionally served in small bowls. First put the noodles there. Someone loves more than thick, someone - more thinly. Pour the noodles with the soup, trying to get a piece of salmon into the bowl. The finished dish is sprinkled with green onions.

Another option: shrimp miso soup

To prepare this soup, you can use the traditional dashi broth - from dried seaweed kombu and tuna flakes. But for a more intense smell of seafood, it is worth replacing the fish with shells of large shrimps (or whole small crustaceans).

Do not forget to strain Dasha’s broth through several layers of gauze.

1. Pour a glass (or ladle) into a bowl, cool, dissolve the paste in it. It can be either red akamiso, white shiromiso, or a mixture of two types - avasemiso. As in the previous recipe, pasta requires 3 tablespoons.
2. When you rub all the lumps, pour the mixture into the rest of the broth, which by then should already be hot.
3. Quickly add the remaining ingredients of the miso soup: 150 grams of peeled shrimp and about the same amount of diced tofu cheese, a teaspoon of dried wakame seaweed.
4. Bring the soup to a boil and immediately turn off the heat.
5. Let’s infuse for five minutes under the lid.
6. Pour the finished dish into the bowls and sprinkle with chopped green onions.

Other recipes with kombu seaweed. Tsukidani snack

This amazing Japanese appetizer is pretty easy to make.

1. We take a piece of dry algae weighing 15 grams and soak it for a quarter of an hour in half a glass of water.
2. When the kombu becomes soft, cut it into thin and long strips like Korean carrots.
3. Move it to the saucepan.
4. Add half the amount of water in which the algae was soaked, and add half a teaspoon of rice vinegar.
5. Bring to a boil over low heat and cook after boiling for ten minutes.
6. Add a quarter cup of soy sauce to a saucepan, a tablespoon of sugar, mirin and sake.
7. Boil until the liquid is almost completely evaporated.
8. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour a teaspoon of sesame seeds.
9. Mix and serve the snack immediately.

Unagi "Yanagawa"

This extremely thick soup is popular far beyond Japan.

1. To prepare it, mix in one saucepan 3 grams of dried seaweed kombu and a teaspoon of sugar.
2. Share 20 milliliters of soy sauce, the same amount of rice wine (mirin) and 120 ml of ordinary water.
3. Put on fire, bring to a boil.
4. Add the tuna chips (5 grams). Then remove the broth from the fire and strain.
5. In a separate bowl, mix the raw chicken egg and a handful of arugula (or a leaf of lettuce torn by hand).
6. We cut some shiitake mushrooms and half a bunch of green onions into large strips.
7. Put these ingredients in a cold pan.
8. Flatten the layer. We put on it one hundred grams of smoked eel, cut into slices.
9. Pour it all over with broth.
10. We put the pan on fire, bring its contents to a boil.
11. Quickly pour the egg with herbs. Immediately serve the dish to the table.

"Jiao Xiang Haidai Sy"

As experienced travelers assure in their reviews, kombu seaweed has become the main product of not only Japanese, but also Chinese cuisine. We suggest you prepare a delicious Jiao Xiang Haidai Sy salad.

The name of the dish translates simply: "Kombu seaweed spicy appetizer." We need a small piece of the basal part of kelp. It is desirable that it be fresh or frozen, and not dried. If the algae is dry, cook it in a double boiler for half an hour, sprinkling rice vinegar in the middle of the process.

1. Cut the comb into thin long strips, three cloves of garlic into small cubes.
2. From the pods of green and red chili peppers, we select seeds.
3. Cut the flesh into strips. Soak it in water.
4. Cooking salad dressing. In a bowl, mix garlic, a teaspoon of sugar, a tablespoon of rice vinegar, a pinch of salt, a few drops of sesame oil and light soy sauce.
5. Shake until crystals are dissolved.
6. Blanch the kombu algae for several minutes, throw it into a colander.
7. Mix with peppers (they need to be squeezed out well).
8. Dress salad with cooked sauce.

Shabu shabu

Cooking this soup like this.

1. First, we make dashi broth from water, kombu algae, soy sauce, tuna chips and a glass of sake.
2. We cut the tofu into cubes, spinach into strips, leek into oblique circles, and marbled beef into thin slices.
3. On the shiitake hats, we will make crosswise cuts, chop the onion and Beijing cabbage.
4. First we put mushrooms in the broth, then the rest of the ingredients.
5. When all the ingredients are ready, serve with soy or nut sauce.
6. Separately, three radishes daikon.

This dish is eaten in two stages. First, the ingredients of the first series are caught from the broth. Then the udon noodles are lowered into the liquid and cooked according to the instructions for it. It is transferred to bowls, watered with a small amount of broth and soy sauce with lime juice.