Kombu Itameni (Boiled shredded kelp and vegetable)

Kombu Itameni (Boiled shredded kelp and vegetable) 昆布の炒め煮

What kind of food is Kombu Itameni (Boiled shredded kelp and vegetable)??

Kombu = Konbu = Kelp

This dish is made by boiling shredded konbu, atsuage (fried tofu), and leftover vegetables from the fridge, then simmering them in soy sauce and sugar.

There are no specific rules for the ingredients used in this dish, but other recommended ingredients include burdock, konnyaku, chicken, and chikuwa fish cakes.

Konbu is a very flavorful ingredient due to its high content of glutamic acid, an amino acid.

Glutamic acid is the basis of umami, a taste that ranks alongside sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy.

Furthermore, heating konbu releases alginic acid and fucoidan, two types of dietary fiber. These two ingredients are said to regulate the intestinal environment and eliminate waste, excess carbohydrates, and lipids.

Normally, dried shredded kelp is used for this dish in the average household, but I recommend boiled kelp, which can be purchased in the fresh seafood section, as it is thick and soft, with the core still retaining just the right amount of texture and is very delicious.

If you use dried shredded kelp, replace 140g of boiled shredded kelp with about 35g of dried shredded kelp.

The photo shows dried shredded kelp, which is characterized by its thinner shape compared to boiled shredded kelp.

INGREDIENTS : Kombu Itameni (Boiled shredded kelp and vegetable)　６SERVINGS

Dried shiitake mushrooms (3g)
Water (100g)
Shredded kelp for raw consumption (130g)
Sesame oil (4g)
Carrots (40g)
Fried tofu (50g)
Taro (50g)
Dried shiitake mushroom soaking water (100g)
Water (100g)
Dashi stock granules (4g)
Soy sauce (30g)
Sugar (10g)
Mirin (10g)
Sake (20g)
Boiled soybeans (70g)

The finished product weighs about 420g.

How to make Kombu Itameni (Boiled shredded kelp and vegetable)

Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in water for a few hours beforehand.
Wash the kelp under running water.
Lightly squeeze the dried shiitake mushrooms to drain and slice. Do not discard the soaking water.
Peel the carrots.
Slice the carrots into julienne strips.
Peel the taro. Getting wet can make them sticky and dangerous, so peel them while they’re dry and then wash them.
Cut the taro into pieces the size of a teaspoon.
Cut the deep-fried tofu into pieces the size of a teaspoon.
Wash the boiled soybeans.
Heat sesame oil in a frying pan.
Stir-fry the drained kelp, carrots, taro, deep-fried tofu, and shiitake mushrooms.
Add the water from which the dried shiitake mushrooms were soaked and the remaining water, and simmer until the taro is soft.
Add the dashi stock, soy sauce, sugar, mirin, and sake, and mix thoroughly.
When the sauce is reduced by about half, add the soybeans and simmer until the liquid is gone.