I never run out of hijiki seaweed at home—it’s easy to cook and store. I cook a lot at once and freeze it in silicon cups (15–20 g (1/2–2/3 oz) per cup) so that I can pop one cup into a lunchbox or defrost to mix with rice to make onigiri! There are long and short versions of hijiki seaweed at the supermarket but you can cook both in the same way. I’m using the short variety in this recipe as it is easier to mix with rice.
Ingredients
- 0.33 oz (10 g) Dried hijiki seaweed, soaked in water for 30 minutes
- 2 oz (60 g) Carrot, peeled
- 2 oz (60 g) Deep-fried bean curd (aburaage) 1
- 2 tsp Vegetable oil
- 6¾ fl oz (200 ml) Water
- 1½ tbsp Instant dashi powder
- 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (shoyu)
- 2 tbsp Mirin
- 17 oz (480 g) Cooked Japanese short grain rice
How to Make It
- Rinse hijiki seaweed and drain well. Set aside.
- Cut carrot into half lengthwise and then cut again in half lengthwise. Slice thinly.
- Pour hot water over deep-fried bean curd and drain well, then dry further using kitchen towels. Cut into 2-cm (1-in) strips.
- Heat oil in a frying pan and sauté hijiki seaweed, carrot and bean curd strips for 1 minute. Add water, instant dashi powder, soy sauce and mirin and cook until moisture is almost evaporated. Remove from heat.
- Combine 4–5 Tbsp hijiki seaweed mixture and rice in a bowl and mix well.
- Place cling wrap in a rice bowl and scoop one-quarter of the rice into the bowl. Pull out rice together with cling wrap and mould rice into your preferred shape. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
