This is a very Japanese dish, but you will never come across at any Japanese restaurants. Kombu (Kelp) is an important part of our cuisine. We make Dashi Stock using it, and we use Kombu for cooking a lot. Yesterday I found already shredded Dried Kombu at a Chinese grocery store and I decided to cook this dish for dinner. For me, it’s a very comforting dish.

Makes

4 Servings

Ingredients

40g Dried Shredded Kombu (Kelp) *OR slice Dried Kombu by yourself, see ‘How To Thinly Slice Kombu (Kelp)’
1 teaspoon Sesame Oil *OR Oil of your choice
150g Chikuwa (Tubular Fish Cake) *cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup Water
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons Mirin
1 to 2 teaspoons Sugar *alter the amount
Toasted Sesame Seeds

Method
  1. Soak Dried Shredded ‘Kombu’ (Kelp) in cold water for 10 minutes, drain, rinse, and drain again. *Note: You can slice Kombu by knife. Find ‘How To Thinly Slice Kombu (Kelp)’
  2. Heat Sesame Oil in a saucepan over medium heat, cook ‘Kombu’ for 1-2 minutes. Add Water, Soy Sauce, Mirin, Sugar and Chikuwa pieces, and stir to combine. Lower the heat, cover with lid and cook for 2-3 minutes.
  3. Remove the lid, then cook, occasionally stirring, until the sauce is gone.
  4. Sprinkle with some Toasted Sesame Seeds and serve with freshly cooked Rice.