Nickey's Hijiki

Hijiki, a versatile seaweed, very high in fiber. Soaking increases the dried volume of hijiki by about three times (or more). Hijiki should be rinsed to remove any sand and/or other debris. One cup of dried hijiki will become three cups when soaked. Hijiki, being fairly neutral in flavor, can be added to salads, stir fries and other dishes. All the vegetable add-ins are optional.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Yields: 1/4 cup

Ingredients

• 1  ounce  dried hijiki seaweed, washed and rinsed
•  water, for rinsing and soaking
• 1  teaspoon  toasted sesame oil
• 1⁄2 cup carrot, julienned
• 1⁄2 cup  dried shiitake mushroom
• 1⁄4 cup  soy  beans, shelled (edamane)
• 1  aburage, cut thin
• 1⁄2 cup  Konnyaku, cut in small pieces
• 1⁄2 cup  kombu  dashi, cut in small, thin pieces
• 2 -3  tablespoons  low-sodium Kikkoman soy sauce
• 2  tablespoons sugar
• 1  tablespoon mirin
• 1⁄4 teaspoon sea salt (optional)
• 2  tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (for garnish)

Directions

1. Rinse/Wash hijiki in a bowl to remove sand. Soak the hijiki 10-15 minutes in enough water to cover. Drain the hijiki over a colander; sqeezing out the excess water. if strands are long, you might want to cut it (to about 1/2 inch, doesn't have to be exact).
2. Soak the mushrooms in warm water till soft, then slice thin (keep the water).
3. Sauté the hijiki, aburage, carrots, mushrooms,edamane beans and konnyaku in sesame oil for a few minutes.
4. Add soaking water and enough fresh water to almost cover. Add dashi and other seasonings. Simmer until the hijiki and vegetables are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed (about thirty-five minutes).
5. Place in small serving bowl and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
6. NOTE: There have been some warnings citing more than citing its more than accepted levels of inorganic arsenic. It should be noted that the initial tests on hijiki which lead to those warnings in the UK among other places was based on testing the dried, un-soaked hijiki - and you never eat hijiki that way. Soaking reduces the amount of trace arsenic by 1/7th; rinsing and cooking it in liquid further reduces it. The report here by the Tokyo Health and Welfare Department states that as long as a person weighing 50kg (about 110lb) does not eat more than 5 servings of hijiki of 5g dry weight per serving (which swells up to a lot more than that when soaked) that it is perfectly safe, even for pregnant women.