One of the most popular recipes on my website is ‘Goma-ae’, the dish of vegetables mixed with the ‘Goma-ae’ sauce. On the other day I tried to make ‘Goma-ae’ Cabbage, but it was not really good. I thought spiciness was needed and I added Toban Djan (Chili Bean Sauce). The flavour of it instantly brought back a crunchy sea vegetable salad I used to buy in Japan. Then I added Wakame to the Cabbage. This way I made a new recipe of this ‘Spicy ‘Goma-ae’ Wakame & Cabbage’.
Dried Cut Wakame is commonly available from Asian Groceries, but you can use most edible seaweeds for this salad. *Note: Some edible seaweeds should be cooked before being added to the salad.

Makes

4 Servings

Ingredients

1/4 to 1/3 Cabbage *about 400g
4 tablespoons Dried Cut Wakame *about 10g

Spicy Goma-ae Sauce
2 tablespoons Toasted Sesame Seeds *ground
1 tablespoon Sugar *add extra 1/2 tablespoon if required
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon Toban Djan (Chili Bean Sauce)

Method
  1. Grind Toasted Sesame Seeds, add Sugar, Soy Sauce and Toban Djan, mix well to make sauce.
    *Note: If you like Garlic, you can add some grated garlic to the sauce.
  2. Cabbage leaves need to be cut or torn into small pieces.
  3. Blanch in boiling water very quickly OR alternatively place them in a colander or a large strainer and carefully pour the boiled hot water over. Dip in cold water to stop cooking further, drain well and squeeze to remove excess water.
  4. Soak Dry Wakame (or other sea vegetables of your choice if they are dry) in cold water until soft, drain well. Cut into small pieces if large. Squeeze to remove excess water.
  5. Combine Cabbage, Wakame and the Spicy ‘Goma-ae’ Sauce.