Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Kombu aka Konbu

Braised Kombu 昆布 (kelps aka large seaweeds). My mother cooks this kelp frequently and I ate them from young so I am used to eating them and like the taste. My mother also use this large seaweed to boil mung bean/green bean sweet soup (luk tou tong sui - 海带绿豆沙) too which is a very "cooling" dessert. It seems that this seaweed mung bean sweet soup is more commonly found in Hong Kong than here. Anyone likes to drink this seaweed mung bean sweet soup? I like it. I found a recipe here for you to cook it at home.

Hokkaido Kombu

Dried form - need to soak it in water before cooking

36 comments:

  1. I never add seaweed in mung soup. Maybe can try some day.

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    1. Do try if you think you can accept the taste.

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  2. This is new to me to add this Kombu seaweed into mung beans. I ate them separately and see no harm eating them together now. LOL

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    1. You can cook this combination if you want the cooling effect.

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  3. Oh, I've never heard this kelp used to boil mung bean tongsui.. I always boil my tong sui with rock sugar only, hehe..

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    1. Do you think you can accept the taste of kelp in the mung bean tongsui?

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  4. I learned something new today. I think I can enjoy this but not my hubby. So I can't add the seaweed to our tong sui. Have a wonderful day, Mun!

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    1. Boil a small pot for your own consumption and a separate pot for everyone else. :)

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  5. I have only had seaweed in miso soup or seaweed salad. Have not tried any with mung bean soup.

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    1. You want to try cook this combination one day?

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  6. I have seen them but do not know how to cook them. But I know they have cooling effect.

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  7. I haven't tried this combination before.

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  8. i wonder how sea weeds tastes like.. this serves as spices right? or can this be eaten raw?

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    1. No, in this case, the seaweed does not serve as spices. I am not sure whether or not they can be eaten raw.

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  9. Only tried seaweed in miso soup before but not this type or this way

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  10. Don't really like the taste of seaweed

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  11. I've had it in egg drop soup in a Japanese restaurant before, not a fan. This has the same texture of that Chinese wood ear fungus (only thicker) and, on its own, it's practically tasteless. I can see why you like it.

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    1. The texture is much softer than the muk yee. According to many, it is not tasteless but very fishy tasting so many do not like it. I find them tasting like the sea, not tasteless either.

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  12. kombu in sweet mung bean soup.. hmmm, something new and definitely have not tried that before.. even in savory soup also rare, hehe!! I bought a packet from my Japan trip and that's when I started to have this more often :)

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    1. How do you cook the kelp you bought from your Japan trip?

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  13. Like your mom, my mom also started cooking kelp in a variety of dishes and soups since I was a kid. But unlike you, I never liked them, and still don't like them. I don't like their texture, just like I don't like black fungus/white fungus texture. Having them in my mouth makes me feel very "geli" >.< ...

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    1. You say you are not particular about the taste of food but you are very particular about the texture of your food. Hhhmmmm, let me think - do you like to eat mochi then?

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    2. Heh... Not really, but I don't hate them either. I'm indifferent to them. If you put mochi into my mouth, I would not cringe in disgust.

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  14. I like kelp...in soup and in any dishes...

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    1. So you will like them in sweet mung bean tong sui then! :)

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  15. I dun like seaweed. Guess it's an acquired taste

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  16. Good for you, rich in iodine. I don't mind if it does not have that strong fishy smell. I think that has got to do with the soaking, gotta do it right to remove the strong smell. Not sure, never tried.

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    1. I think if don't have that smell you dislike, the seaweed may be fake food.

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