Monday, May 07, 2007

Eating My Way Thinner: Hijiki Nimono


It sucks trying to eat healthier.

Because suddenly, I don't want to snack on almonds or fruit. I want cookies and chips. I don't want to simple give my pan a small drizzling of olive oil. I want to brown my food in lots and lots of butter and then deglaze the hell out of it with lots and lots of wine. I don't want whole wheat bread. I want tortillas made with lard.

I struggled with many food ideas, looking at recipes from
Cooking Light and other healthy eating sources. But the more of these types of recipes I thumbed through, the less appealing they all started to sound with their reduced fat mayo or skim milk substitutions. Not that that's all bad. It's just that sometimes, especially when you're willing to make a big change like this, you want the real deal.

Which is exactly why I went knocking on Japan's culinary door for diet inspiration. I've always admired that Japanese cuisine in its truest form can be so absolutely interesting in taste, texture and presentation without being drowned in huge portions or a ton of oil and fat. I figure that it's better to satisfy myself via sensory overload than by stuffing myself, right?

Unfortunately, this eating-more-Japanese-food-business would have to exclude some of my favorite deep fried Japanese goodies such as
menchi katsu, kabocha korokke, chicken karaage and kaki furai. (I'll save those for an occasional weekend treat) But with the huge variety of other healthy foods available, I think I'll be OK.

I always look forward to getting little mounds of hijiki nimono, or simmered hijiki seaweed, either at Japanese restaurants or at the prepared foods section of Mitsuwa market, so I thought, "Why not make this myself?" With a little help from
Kimiko Barber's The Japanese Kitchen (a really informative book with gorgeous photos, by the way) I was one step closer to a tasty meal and a healthier physique.

Unless you've tried it yourself, it's hard to get an accurate picture of how hijiki nimono actually tastes but I'll try my best. Texture-wise, the black strips of hijiki are not nearly as thin or slippery as wakame seaweed; I think that they almost have the texture of simmered or steamed carrots with a slightly different bite, which is quite interesting given that there are shredded carrots partying right alongside the hijiki in this dish. Taste-wise, it's a little bitter-sweet, and compliments the saltiness of the soy sauce and the sweetness of the sugar and mirin that it soaks up during the cooking process very nicely. All the ingredients used in this recipe can easily be found at any Japanese or Asian market.

Hijiki Nimino
(adapted from Kimiko Barber's The Japanese Kitchen)

1 oz. dry hijiki seaweed
1 sheet aburage (deep fried tofu)
1/2 cup shredded carrot
3/4 cup konbu dashi (vegetarian kelp broth-see recipe below) OR water if you're short on time

4 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. mirin

-Soak the hijiki in hot water for about half hour then drain.
-Put the aburage in a strainer & pour boiling water over it to remove the oil and cut into shreds.
-Put the reconsituted hijiki, tofu shreds & carrots in a pot. Add the konbu dashi or water, soy sauce, sugar and mirin.
-Cook on low heat until all the liquid is absorbed.

Konbu Dashi (Vegetarian Kelp Broth)
1 postcard sized piece of dried konbu (kelp)
4 cups water

-Make a few tears in the konbu and soak it in the water for a several hours. That's it.


I enjoyed this delicious hijiki nimono sprinkled with a pinch of toasted sesame seeds and a little steamed rice and edamame on the side. As opposed to many of my gluttonous meals, there was no bloating afterwards, making this particular meal that much better.

Note: The United Kingdom, Canada, Hong Kong and New Zealand have all issued warnings that traces of inorganic arsenic have been found in hijiki. I'm not sure what to make of this since anything with the word "arsenic" in it is due to sound kinda unappetizing, if ya know what I mean. But I figure that a little hijiki here and there won't hurt since this type of seaweed, until recently, has always been touted for its health benefits and since Japanese people, who by the way are known for their longevity, have had hijiki in their diets for years. As with any food, moderation and variety are key. If you're curious about this whole inorganic arsenic schtick though, you can read about it
here, here, here, or here.

17 comments:

KirkK said...

Hey DG - I remember doing a post on Hijiki Nimono, and receiving a few emails about the arsenic warning. But like you said, a bit here and there won't hurt.

BoLA said...

Mmm... Delicious! I'm currently reading, Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat... LOL! I think there's a recipe for the Hijiki Nimono in there somewhere. Too bad my will power's not strong enough to withstand my sweet tooth. ;)

Daily Gluttony said...

Kirk,

I actually stumbled across your post as I was googling hijiki. All of your nimono dishes looked delicious and I'm planning on making them someday!

BoLA,

Oh I know what you mean, girl. I've been trying really hard to be good...it's especially hard when I just found out that Beard Papa opened up just minutes away from us!

elmomonster said...

You're so right about Japanese food. When it's time to eat healthy, we usually default to Japanese, most often sushi. We can learn from the example set by geishas (with the exception of that prostitution part of their duties).

Jason Truesdell said...

It's also nice to add some boiled soybeans (daizu or edamame) or blanched fresh fava beans (soramame) to this dish. Alternatively, a little bit of slice renkon (lotus root) also adds a nice texture.

I've also seen a version of inari-zushi made with rice mixed with this hijiki dish.

Daily Gluttony said...

Elmo,

Oh my, well if that was something I was looking up to the geishas for, food would prolly be the least of my concerns right now. LOL!

Neil,

Thanks (I think) Though if I were eating steak & potatoes and deep fried snickers bars everyday, I'd be big as a house too.

Jason,

Thanks for the tips! I'm esp. digging adding renkon to my hijiki--I loooove me some renkon!

jiji said...

have been trying to be healthier as well and hijiki is a great idea. and i think it's okay to get your fix of lard and fried food every now and then. life is too short to eat seaweed all the time :)

Unknown said...

www.ebuylife.com
tiffany jewelry
http://www.applehot.com
http://tmdvdshop.com
http://www.tiffany-coach.com
http://www.tiffany-lv.com
buy acekard 2i
authentic mobile phone distributor
high heel shoesTo add your site to the Petitchef family

Anonymous said...

So glad I stumbled across this post, I will definitely have to pay a visit. It’s in my price range too! There’s a restaurant called Melisse that you should check out too, there’s a deal running Thursday on a local deal site called PreferDine.com that is pretty cool.

nirvana said...

nice!
If you're looking for a acekard 2i at the lowest price, and you want one with up to date firmware... Get this one:http://www.ndscardstore.com/product/AceKard!
One point to not let you buy this one... The build quality isn't that great. Be carefull with the spring load, as I think this will one day break.

Anonymous said...

What do you mean Japanese women don't get old or fat? My mom is Japanese, old, and overweight (or was until recently).

India Yellow Pages said...

I've been waiting for this type of post. I'm opening up a blog in a month and this would be really helpful to me. Looking forward to see more tips and information here!

penny auctions said...

A good blog always comes-up with new and exciting information and while reading I have feel that this blog is really have all those quality that qualify a blog to be a good one.

colon cleanse said...

I really like your blog! I’ve bookmarked it so that I can come back & read more in the future.

loveswedding said...

Mens Swim Trunks
ed hardy swim trunks
ed hardy swim trunks sale
ed hardy swim trunks sales
ed hardy swim trunks on sale
ed hardy swim trunks on sales
ed hardy swim trunks on sale discount
ed hardy swim trunks on sale discounts
ed hardy mens swim trunks
ed hardy mens swim trunks sale
ed hardy mens swim trunks sales
ed hardy mens swim trunks discount
ed hardy mens swim trunks discounts

wallpost said...

WoW, It's looking really good and yummy too. I want to taste it now. Thanks you.

Unknown said...

Looks like a great recipe. I will have to try it out sometime.

Travel Care Air