Hijiki Salad – a classic Japanese seaweed dish

Hijiki no Nimono is a traditional Japanese seaweed salad prized for its nutritional value and deep umami flavor. Wild hijiki seaweed grows along the coasts of Japan and East Asia and is rich in dietary fiber, iron, calcium, and magnesium, while beautifully absorbing the flavors of dashi and soy sauce.

This dish works perfectly as a side for dinner, a bento component, or a light, plant-based appetizer.

Ingredients

• 25 g dried hijiki seaweed

• 2 pieces aburaage (fried tofu)

• 100 g konnyaku (yam cake)

• 125 g edamame

• 480 ml dashi stock

• 60 ml mirin

• 60 ml soy sauce

• 1 carrot, cut into thin strips

• 15 ml vegetable oil

Preparation

1. Hijiki
   Place the dried hijiki in a bowl, cover with cold water, and soak for about 30 minutes. Drain well.

2. Aburaage
   Place the tofu on a sieve and pour boiling water over it to remove excess oil. Drain, slice thinly, and set aside.

3. Edamame
   Boil the edamame in a pot of water for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, then remove the beans from their pods.

4. Konnyaku
   In the same pot of boiling water, cook the konnyaku for 3 minutes. Drain, slice thinly, and set aside.

5. Cooking the salad
   Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrot and sauté briefly until slightly softened. Add the hijiki, aburaage, and konnyaku, and stir to combine.

6. Simmering
   Pour in the dashi and bring to a boil. Add the mirin and soy sauce, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes until the ingredients absorb the flavors.

7. Finish
   Add the edamame and continue cooking uncovered until most of the liquid has evaporated and the bottom of the pan becomes visible.

Serving

Serve warm or at room temperature as a side dish or as part of a Japanese bento meal.

Tips

• Add lotus root (cook together with the carrot) for extra texture.

• Replace mirin with yuzu juice for a brighter, citrusy note.

• Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds just before serving.

• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days—the flavor improves by the next day.

A classic example of Japanese home cooking: simple, nourishing, and deeply flavorful.