Dried foods are great for more than just Japanese cuisine! Easy and delicious Western-style hijiki and dried shiitake mushroom soup recipe

Hello. I am Ayumi Nakaganji, a chef.

Time flies and there's only just over a month left in the year...

I try to organize my things diligently, but when I looked through my stock I found some dried foods that were nearing their expiration date or had just a few left over.

Because the expiration date is so long, it's easy to forget about it. Do you have any dried foods that you have left over?

This time, we will introduce some recipes that use dried foods. Let's use them up without waste as we approach the end of the year!

1: A slightly Western-style dish using hijiki: "Hijiki and lotus root stir-fried with cod roe"

I like to eat it with a generous amount on rice. The crunchy texture of the lotus root, the mild saltiness of the cod roe, and the aroma of the garlic go perfectly with the hijiki.

It lasts for about 5 days, so it's also recommended as a staple dish.

Image: Ayumi Chuganji

Ingredients (for 2 people)
Lotus root・・・50g
Hijiki・・・10g
Spicy Fish Eggs ・・・20g
Garlic (minced)・・・1/2 teaspoon
Salad oil...1/2 tablespoon
Sake・・・1 tablespoon
White soup stock...a little

<How to make>

(1) Soak the hijiki in plenty of water. Wash the lotus root thoroughly, cut it into thin strips (you can also use a slicer), and soak in water. Remove the thin skin from Spicy Fish Eggs.

(2) Add salad oil to a frying pan, add the garlic and heat. When the aroma comes out, add the drained lotus root and stir fry briefly.

(3) Add the drained hijiki and stir fry, then add the sake. Once the water has evaporated, turn the heat to low and add Spicy Fish Eggs.

(4) Turn off the heat and continue to cook Spicy Fish Eggs using the residual heat while mixing thoroughly.

(5) Add white dashi and adjust the flavor.

2. "Dried Shiitake Mushroom and Chicken Rice Vermicelli Soup" with a mild flavor that will warm you up

A warm soup made with dried foods. The combination of dried shiitake mushrooms and chicken stock is truly the best.

Another great thing about this dish is that you don't have to soak dried shiitake mushrooms or make stock, so you can make it whenever you think of it.

Add rice vermicelli to increase the volume. If you don't have rice vermicelli, you can use glass noodles.

Image: Ayumi Chuganji

[Ingredients] (Serves 2)
Chicken wings・・・4 pieces
Daikon radish...about 130g
Dried shiitake mushrooms...2 pieces (about 10g)
Rice noodles・・・50g
Salt and pepper...a little
Water・・・500ml
Salt...1 teaspoon
Fish sauce・・・2 teaspoons
Black pepper...appropriate amount
Sesame oil...appropriate amount
Green onion (finely chopped) - appropriate amount

<How to make>

(1) Cut the chicken wings along the bone and open the meat. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Peel the daikon radish thickly and cut it into batons. Soak the rice noodles in water to soften them.

(2) Break the shiitake mushrooms with your hands and place them in a pot with water. Add the chicken wings and daikon radish and heat on the stove. When it starts to boil, skim off the scum.

(3) Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

(4) Add fish sauce and salt to taste. Add the rehydrated rice noodles and simmer until soft.

(5) Drizzle black pepper and sesame oil on top and sprinkle with green onions.

If you don't mind the heat, add lots of black pepper.

Although it is a dried food with a strong Japanese image, it can also be used in delicious Western dishes depending on how you arrange it. In addition to the recipes we have written, hijiki can be used in a wide range of ways, such as cooking it with rice, rehydrating it and adding it to miso soup or salads. Make full use of nutritious dried foods to greatly expand the variety of your cooking! (Text by Chuganji Ayumi)
*This article contains information current at the time of publication.

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