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Hijiki Seaweed Salad
4.9 from 86 votes

Hijiki Seaweed Salad

Hijiki Seaweed Salad combines rehydrated hijiki seaweed with tofu pouches, konnyaku, carrot, and lotus root, simmered in a seasoned broth. The result is a slightly sweet and savory dish with a variety of textures: tender yet chewy seaweed, soft tofu, and crisp vegetables. This salad is typically served at room temperature or chilled, making it a refreshing, nutrient-rich accompaniment.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 4
Calories: 128 kcal
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Japanese

Ingredients

  • ½ cup hijiki seaweed 1 oz; increases tenfold after rehydration; I used mehijiki (芽ひじき), the small, soft “buds“ of the hijiki plant; you can also use the long and chewy “stems” called nagahijiki (長ひじき), which are less commonly found in the US, dried
  • 4 cups water (for soaking)
  • 2 tofu pouch 1.4 oz, 40 g; you can substitute crispy fried tofu cubes from an Asian grocery store, but blanch them first to remove the excess oil, deep-fried, aka aburaage
  • 3 oz konnyaku ⅓ konnyaku block; optional, aka konjac
  • 3 oz carrot (½–1 carrot)
  • ¼ lotus root 1.3 oz, 37 g; pre-boiled; optional, aka renkon
  • 1 Tbsp neutral oil
  • 2 cups dashi use standard Awase Dashi, dashi packet or powder, or Vegan Dashi, Japanese soup stock
  • ⅓ cup edamame 2 oz, 60 g; cooked; optional, shelled
For the Seasonings
  • ¼ cup mirin
  • 2 Tbsp sugar (this dish is typically on the sweet side to help preserve it and for better flavor when eaten at room temperature in a bento box; reduce by half, if you‘d like)
  • ¼ cup soy sauce

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Gather all the ingredients.
  2. Soak ½ cup dried hijiki seaweed in 4 cups water—10 minutes for mehijiki (bud hijiki) or 30 minutes for nagahijiki (stem hijiki). Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients.
  3. Drain to a large fine-mesh sieve and rinse under running water.
To Prepare the Other Ingredients
  1. Boil water in a small saucepan and pour it over 2 aburaage (deep-fried tofu pouch). This will remove the excess oil on the aburaage. Squeeze out the liquid. Then, cut in half lengthwise and thinly slice crosswise.
  2. Add some water and 3 oz konnyaku (konjac) to a small pot and boil for 3 minutes to remove the odor. This also helps the konnyaku absorb flavors and improves the texture. Then, slice it into small strips (about the same size as the aburaage slices).
  3. Cut 3 oz carrot into julienne pieces.
  4. Cut ¼ lotus root (renkon) into thin quarter pieces.
To Cook the Hijiki Salad
  1. Heat 1 Tbsp neutral oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the carrot and lotus root and cook until they are coated with oil.
  2. Add the hijiki, then the konnyaku and aburaage. Mix it all together.
  3. Add 2 cups dashi (Japanese soup stock) and let it boil.
  4. Add all the seasonings: ¼ cup mirin, 2 Tbsp sugar, and ¼ cup soy sauce. Mix well. Cook covered on medium-low heat for 20–30 minutes.
  5. Add ⅓ cup shelled edamame.
  6. Continue to cook, uncovered, to reduce the sauce until you see the bottom of the pan.
To Serve
  1. Serve as a side to a Japanese meal or pack in a bento lunch box. For convenient meal prep, you can divide the Hijiki Salad into a bento portion in silicone cups for freezing.
To Store
  1. Store in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days. You can also freeze it for up to a month.

Nutrition Information

Calories 128kcal (6%) Carbohydrates 17g (6%) Protein 5g (10%) Fat 3g (5%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g (12%) Monounsaturated Fat 1g (5%) Trans Fat 1g (50%) Sodium 520mg (22%) Potassium 189mg (4%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 8g (16%) Vitamin A 3560IU (71%) Vitamin C 8mg (9%) Calcium 84mg (8%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 128

% Daily Value*

Calories 128kcal 6%
Carbohydrates 17g 6%
Protein 5g 10%
Fat 3g 5%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 1g 5%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Sodium 520mg 22%
Potassium 189mg 4%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 8g 16%
Vitamin A 3560IU 71%
Vitamin C 8mg 9%
Calcium 84mg 8%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.