The most famous Japanese food is sushi. And one of the main ingredients of this dish are nori. These are special algae that are used to prepare many dishes. But most often they are used precisely for creating rolls. Outwardly, nori are rectangular leaves. They may have a brown, reddish or dark green color. The hue of the plant affects the taste of the final delicacy. In addition to the Land of the Rising Sun, this product is grown in Korea and China. Algae have a spicy, special taste and in some countries are considered to be real exotic.
History tour
Nori is a product first mentioned in Japanese chronicles dating from the 8th century. This was the Taiho Codex, and it referred to the fact that the emperor had the right to levy tribute to his subjects by products, among which were these leaves. In the 980s, nori became ordinary food for ordinary Japanese people.
Today, nori is a leaf of dried and pressed seaweed. In this form, they appeared much later, since for a long time they were not dried, but simply rubbed to a pasty consistency. We began to produce such sheets, to which we are accustomed, after applying paper technology to the paste.
The Americans, who first came to Japan in the 19th century, thought that the people here were eating black paper. And these were the dried red seaweed. The industrial method began to make nori in one of the districts of Tokyo - Asakusa. The dried delicacy was at first quite expensive. And nori themselves collected from stones exclusively at the time of low tide of the sea. But in the late 1940s, scientists developed a method of growing plants artificially.
Classification
Nori, the photos of which we place in the article, are divided into three grades - A, B and C. Grade A is considered to be the highest. These are very durable and plastic sheets with a deep green tone with a golden tint and even structure.
The remaining two varieties are much inferior in quality to the previous version. These algae can easily be distinguished by shade. It can be pale green, reddish or reddish with small gaps. Such sheets are characterized by low strength: they can crack when twisting the fillings in them.
Whatever type of nori is purchased, they should be stored in sealed packaging, in a dry and dark place.
Home cooking
Unfortunately, it is impossible to grow nori at home. They are brought only from distant foreign countries, and the domestic consumer purchases them in the store ready-made. Or, more precisely, in the semi-finished, because the taste and shape of the rolls and sushi depend on the proper preparation of seaweed. Therefore, after buying in a supermarket, Nori needs to be properly prepared at home for further use.
So, after the nori sheet is removed from the package, it must be very quickly heated on fire on both sides. To do this, keep the leaf in a horizontal position and warm it evenly over the entire length. The whole procedure is done on the lowest possible fire. Algae will fry after two to three seconds. As a result, it will become crumbly and crispy. Nori cannot be grilled.
Varieties and cooking
The following sushi sheets are the most popular in Japan:
- Nori-maki - not only rolls and sushi are made from them, but also dishes such as mochi (rice cakes) and onigiri (rice balls). This variety of algae is a thin pressed leaves of a square shape, reaching a length of 25 centimeters. The plants used to create nori-maki are washed and cut into small pieces. Then they are dried in the hot sun, laid out on special bamboo frames. When sushi is prepared, the filling for them is laid out on the matte side of the poppies.
- Yaki-nori - they are subsequently obtained by frying algae leaves. This procedure is performed in order to enhance aroma and taste. Yaki-nori is part of many main dishes and snacks. Also from this variety of plants you can make a stunningly tasty base for soups. To prepare a saturated broth, simply pour hot water on the yaki. Nutritional foods are recommended for vegetarians and those who adhere to a diet.
- Ava-nori - seasoning for Japanese noodles. Grinding the green leaves, you can get delicious ava-nori.
Composition, benefits and harms
Nori is an algae containing vitamins A and C, plant proteins, carbohydrates, as well as minerals: phosphorus, calcium, iron and iodine. Algae-based foods are very important for individuals who suffer from a lack of iodine in the body. Also, the product is useful for those who have a high percentage of cholesterol in their blood and have problems with the functioning of the immune system.
Nori is recommended to be used in cases where there are diseases of the thyroid gland, varicose veins and atherosclerosis. Plants are also useful for strengthening the cardiovascular system.
Although nori are extremely useful, they should not be used by persons who do not tolerate iodine and pregnant girls.
What to cook
For cooking something exotic housewives are increasingly using recipes with nori. With this component you can make, for example, delicious canapes from crab sticks. In addition to one sheet of seaweed, you will need wheat bread or a loaf, 120 grams of butter, six pieces of crab sticks, half a chicken egg and two stalks of green onions.
With bread, you need to cut the crusts and divide it into 24 identical squares. Each piece is smeared with oil pre-softened at room temperature. Nori leaf is also cut into squares, such as bread, and covered with greased crumbs. Crab sticks are cut into circles and two of these “tablets” are laid out on half of the bread slices.
Further, on all slices of the nori loaf, again they are greased with oil, but already do it from below (on empty bread), and attach them to slices with “tablets” of crab sticks. On a crumb of oil spread on nori squares. Two strips of green onions are attached to the oil. On top of the finished canapes, lay out one more circle of sticks and a piece of boiled egg.