Hijiki Seaweed Salad

Ingredients 

• 1/2 cup dried hijiki seaweed 
• 4 cups water (for soaking)
• 2 aburaage (deep-fried tofu pouch) (1.4 oz, 40 g; you can substitute crispy fried tofu cubes from an Asian grocery store, but blanch them first to remove the excess oil)
• 3 oz konnyaku (konjac) (⅓ konnyaku block; optional)
• 3 oz carrot (½–1 carrot)
• 1/4 lotus root (renkon) (1.3 oz, 37 g; pre-boiled; optional)
• 1 Tbsp neutral oil
• 2 cups dashi
• 1/3 cup shelled edamame (2 oz, 60 g; cooked; optional)

For the Seasonings

• 1/4 cup mirin
• 2 Tbsp sugar (this dish is typically on the sweet side to help preserve it and for better flavor when eaten at room temperature in a bento box; reduce by half, if you‘d like)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce

Instructions 

1. Gather all the ingredients.
2. Soak ½ cup dried hijiki seaweed in 4 cups water—10 minutes for mehijiki (bud hijiki) or 30 minutes for nagahijiki (stem hijiki). Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients.
3. Drain to a large fine-mesh sieve and rinse under running water.

To Prepare the Other Ingredients

1. Boil water in a small saucepan and pour it over 2 aburaage (deep-fried tofu pouch). This will remove the excess oil on the aburaage. Squeeze out the liquid. Then, cut in half lengthwise and thinly slice crosswise.
2. Add some water and 3 oz konnyaku (konjac) to a small pot and boil for 3 minutes to remove the odor. This also helps the konnyaku absorb flavors and improves the texture. Then, slice it into small strips (about the same size as the aburaage slices).
3. Cut 3 oz carrot into julienne pieces.
4. Cut ¼ lotus root (renkon) into thin quarter pieces.

To Cook the Hijiki Salad

1. Heat 1 Tbsp neutral oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the carrot and lotus root and cook until they are coated with oil.
2. Add the hijiki, then the konnyaku and aburaage. Mix it all together.
3. Add 2 cups dashi (Japanese soup stock) and let it boil.
4. Add all the seasonings: ¼ cup mirin, 2 Tbsp sugar, and ¼ cup soy sauce. Mix well. Cook covered on medium-low heat for 20–30 minutes.
5. Add ⅓ cup shelled edamame.
6. Continue to cook, uncovered, to reduce the sauce until you see the bottom of the pan.

To Serve

1. Serve as a side to a Japanese meal or pack in a bento lunch box. For convenient meal prep, you can divide the Hijiki Salad into a bento portion in silicone cups for freezing.