Editor’s note: The theme of Gohan Lab is to help people make simple, tasty “gohan” (meals).

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Over the centuries, people in Japan have come up with different ways to eat the various types of plentiful and tasty seaweed from the surrounding waters.

Among them, those considered to be popular for their umami taste are “kombu” kelp and this week’s ingredient, nori laver.

Nori often complements the main ingredient in a supporting role, as a wrapper of rice balls or as a crushed topping. Its black color also accentuates a dish visually.

“Noriae” (“aeru” means dressing ingredients with seasonings) that draws on the smell of the sea is a staple dish in Japanese cuisine. Avocado dressed with nori, and chicken breast tender and enoki mushroom dressed with nori and vinegar, are fitting dishes for summer.

The soy sauce-based dressing is light on sweetness and tempered by dashi stock. The key is to soak the nori in the dressing and mix it with other ingredients after it has turned soft. Wasabi and vinegar will be added to the avocado and chicken dishes respectively to give them accents that will stimulate your appetite.

Serve in a small heap in a bowl so the dish takes on a decked-up look.

The arranged version is “tsukudani” (preservable food boiled down in soy sauce) of nori. Nori that has been treated carelessly and has gone damp can make a nice comeback with this recipe. It will be modestly salty. You can keep it in the fridge but do not wait too long to finish it.

REFRIGERATE IN SMALL PORTIONS

“Yaki-nori,” sheets of nori that have been roasted, can be stored at room temperature if the bag is unopened. But once opened, they readily absorb moisture and lose not only their crisp texture but also their color and aroma.

This becomes worse in the humid summer months.

Even if you bought nori in a can, it is recommended to separate it into small portions after opening, then place them in zipper storage bags, push out the air and refrigerate.

It is even better if a bundle of nori is wrapped in plastic wrap and then placed in the bag with desiccant. You can also buy aluminum storage bags that are less permeable to air.

Although nori can be kept frozen, do not open right after pulling it out of the freezer. Wait until it reaches room temperature. This step prevents the nori from becoming moist through the difference in temperature.

BASIC COOKING METHOD

(Supervised by Akiko Watanabe in the cooking aspect and Hiroya Kawasaki in the cookery science aspect)

* Ingredients (Serves two)

Basic dressing for one dish: 1/2 sheet yaki-nori, 2 Tbsp dashi stock, 2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sweet mirin sake

1 avocado, 1/4 tsp wasabi paste, 100 grams enoki mushroom, 1 (40 grams) chicken breast tender (sasami), 1 Tbsp sake, 1 tsp vinegar

About 145 kcal and 0.9 grams salt per portion for avocado dressed with nori

About 70 kcal and 1.0 gram salt per portion for chicken breast tender dressed with nori and vinegar

1. To make dressing, tear nori into 1-centimeter-square pieces (PHOTO A). Mix dashi stock, soy sauce and sweet mirin sake in bowl and immerse nori ([A]).

※ To make small amount of dashi stock, either bring 1/2 (1.5 grams) of small bag of “kezuribushi,” shavings of “katsuobushi” (dried, fermented and smoked skipjack tuna) and 100 ml water to a boil in pot or microwave at 600 W for 1 minute and 30 seconds.

2. To make avocado dressed with nori, dissolve wasabi in [A]. Cut avocado in half lengthwise and peel. Cut into 1-cm-thick slices and mix with dressing (PHOTO B).

3. To make chicken breast tender dressed with nori and vinegar, add vinegar to [A]. Remove tendon from chicken. Slice open thick part with kitchen knife to get even thickness. Pat in bit of salt and 1 tsp sake. Cut off root end of enoki, pour 2 tsp sake and separate into 5 or 6 bunches.

4. Heat 1/2 tsp oil in frying pan and lay chicken and enoki. Cook over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes until brown. Turn (PHOTO C) and cook further. When they have cooled, cut length of enoki in half and loosen root part. Loosen chicken into pieces and mix both with dressing.

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Akiko Watanabe is a cooking expert specializing in Japanese cuisine.
Hiroya Kawasaki studies the science of tastiness and cooking method at Ajinomoto’s Institute of Food Sciences and Technologies.

ARRANGED VERSION

Tsukudani of nori

Tear four sheets of roasted nori into 1-cm-square pieces. Add 1 and 1/2 cups of dashi stock and nori in a pot, leave for about 20 minutes to soak. Add 2 Tbsp each of soy sauce and sweet mirin sake, 1 tsp sugar and place on heat.

When it comes to a boil, boil down over medium heat for 7 to 8 minutes while mixing from the bottom of the pot with a spatula to keep the content from burning.

COOKERY SCIENCE

In various ways, Japanese cuisine draws on the characteristic of the glutamic acid, an umami component, in nori and kombu kelp dissolved into the water. In the case of kombu, its umami is transferred to water in “kombu dashi” and to sashimi in “kombu-jime.” To make kombu easier to eat directly, it can be simmered or thinly shaved as “tororo kombu” that is used to wrap ingredients to add umami.