What is Seaweed Salad?
Seaweed salad is made with dried, re-hydrated seaweed, tossed with a dressing made of soy sauce, sesame oil, miso paste, rice wine and rice vinegar with hot chili flakes and sesame seeds.
What does Seaweed Salad Taste Like?
Sour is one of the five main tastes. It is tart and bright, sometimes with a mouth-puckering quality. Sour is a naturally occurring flavor found in many foods, including citrus, vinegar, various dairy products, and certain fruits. Sour is used to enhance a dish or drink and is used as both a main and complimentary flavor.
Umami is one of five main tastes. It is savory with a depth of flavor. Umami is a taste in many foods, including meat, seafood, beans, and nuts. It is both naturally occurring and created through the specific use of ingredients to create a satisfying taste. Umami is characteristic of proteins and savory dishes.
Spicy is a flavor that brings heat and fire to food by creating a burning sensation in the mouth or sinuses. Spicy flavors come from hot peppers, horseradish, and wasabi. Spicy adds a kick and sometimes complexity to a dish and releases endorphins, creating a mildly addictive quality.
Ingredients
Wakame is a type of seaweed used in East Asian cuisine. It is a sea vegetable with a dark, vibrant green color and a hint of translucence. Wakame grows in huge leaf-like sheets in the ocean and when harvested they are hung up to dry and cut into small strips. Dry wakame is tiny, hard and crunchy. Once rehydrated the sea plant is ready to eat. The texture is slippery and the flavor is salty with a sea vegetal taste. Wakame is used in salads, soups and various Japanese and East Asian dishes.
Sesame seeds are the tiny oblong seeds from the flowering sesame plant. They are between 3 to 4 mm long and 2 mm in width. They are generally off white or black, with some that are a medium shade of brown. The flavor of the sesame seed is nutty and earthy. When roasted, these tastes come through strongly and provide a savory garnish to many East Asian dishes. Sesame seeds are also found in Western cuisine.
Soy sauce is a liquid condiment and seasoning made from fermented soybeans. Traditionally it was been made with just soy, many versions and brands use wheat as well. Soy sauce is dark brown with a thin viscosity. The flavor is intensely salty and umami. Soy sauce is used to season meats, seafood and vegetables, it is also used in sauces to perk up the flavor of the food and enhance other tastes.
Mirin is a condiment used in East Asian cuisine and is a type of rice wine with a higher sugar content and lower alcohol content. It is clear with a yellowy hue and a thin viscosity. This sweet rice wine is used as a seasoning in grains, meats and vegetables. The flavor is sweet and a little bit vinegary, with a hint of alcohol.
Botanically the chili pepper is a fruit, in culinary terms it is a vegetable. There are a number of varieties of red chili peppers. Some common ones used for spice powders and seasonings include the piri piri, cayenne, and chile de árbol, among others. Each pepper is red and has a thin skin with a thin flesh and seeds inside the middle of the pepper. The shape varies, but is often thin and tapered. The heat level varies also, depending on the type of pepper. Some are mildly hot, while other red chilies are scorching and fiery. The pepper can be used fresh in many dishes, as well as dried or powdered.
Miso paste is made from fermented soybeans and has a pasty pliable quality. Miso is also made with various grains and other legumes. There are four common types of miso: white, yellow red and black. White miso tastes sweet. Yellow miso tastes mild and earthy. Red miso has a deep umami flavor. Black miso tastes like marmite. Each miso is salty. It is used as flavoring for soups and many sauces and stir fries.
Sesame oil is pressed and extracted from sesame seeds. Sesame is a tiny seed with an earthy and nutty flavor. The sesame ranges in neutral colors from white to black. Raw sesame oil is yellow. Roasted sesame oil is a light to medium shade of brown. The raw, or non-roasted oil has a milder taste than the roasted variety and is more multi-purpose, whereas the oil from roasted sesame seeds lends a deep, earthy flavor that pairs well in East Asian dishes and is used as a flavoring.
Yuzu dressing is found primarily in Japanese cuisine. Its main ingredient is yuzu citrus juice, which is tart and similar to a cross between a lime and a grapefruit. The juice is mixed with oil and a few other ingredients to create a light and thin dressing with a tart and pleasing flavor that pairs well with seafood and vegetables.
Rice vinegar is sometimes confused with rice wine vinegar and while both are made from fermented rice, each is different. Rice vinegar is made by fermenting the sugars in rice and then turning it into an acid. Rice vinegar is more delicate than other vinegars, such as white or red. The flavor of this pale yellow liquid is tangy, sweet and mild. It is used as a seasonings in some East Asian cuisines.
