Wakame Furikake is a Japanese seasoning that is used to top Japanese cooked rice.
Together with Momoko, our residential Japanese expert, we prepared this seaweed-based seasoning recipe.
TL;DR
Wakame is a kelp variety, and therefore an edible seaweed variety, that is commonly used in Japanese and Korean cuisine. It tastes slightly sweet but also salty as it grows in the sea.
You might have come across wakame goma in your Asian restaurant, which is a wakame salad dish with sesame.
The wakame furikake has a similar flavor profile, but it is made with dried wakame kelp.
Just like the salmon furikake seasoning, this seasoning is primarily used to season plain cooked rice when you serve up the rice in a bowl.
Ingredient Specification
- Wakame — Dried wakame kelp leaves are sold in a pack. Get dried cut wakame.
- Sesame Oil — use roasted or toasted sesame oil for flavor. Compare the different sesame oil varieties.
- Sake — Cooking Sake or substitute with vodka.
- Soy Sauce — Regular Kikkoman style soy sauce.
- Sugar — required to balance flavors, so don't skip it.
- White Sesame Seeds — Use white instead of black ones to add contrast.
How to make it?
Step 1
Prepare the wakame and cut the seaweed with a kitchen scissor in a bowl into smaller pieces.
Step 2
Heat up a skillet and dry stir-fry your wakame until you can smell the aroma of the kelp.
Take the pan from the heat and pour in the sesame oil and mix it all well.
Step 3
Continue to stir in sake (or vodka), soy sauce and sugar. Combine everything well.
Step 4
Take back to the heat and stir cook until you can smell the wonderful aroma, then mix in sesame seeds at last.
Take from the heat and cool. Use in your food as a topping.
📖 Recipe
Wakame Furikake Seasoning
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Wakame dried cut
- 1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil Toasted/Roasted
- 1 Teaspoon Sake Cooking Sake, or Vodka as substitute
- 1 Teaspoon Soy Sauce Kikkoman style
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds white ones
Instructions
- Place the dried cut wakame into a bowl and cut it with scissors smaller, as they are slightly too big.¾ cup Wakame
- Heat up a skillet with the dried wakame and dry roast the seaweed until the seaweed emits its lovely aromas. Keep on stirring when dry roasting!
- Take from the heat and pour in sesame oil. Mix it all when in.1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
- Continue to stir in the sake (or vodka), soy sauce and sugar. Mix it all well into the wakame.1 Teaspoon Soy Sauce, 1 Teaspoon Sake, 1 Tablespoon Sugar
- Take your pan back to the heat and keep over a medium-slow heat setting, stirring continuously until you can smell the aroma unfolding.
- Now add in the sesame seeds and mix your wakame furikake well with the same heat setting for a minute or two.1 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds
- When done, take from the heat and leave to cool first before placing the seasoning into a jar or small container.
- Use the furikake seasoning as a topping over your cooked rice directly, or store in the fridge for further use.
Nutrition
Serving
You will mostly use your wakame furikake seasoning over plain cooked rice for lunch or dinner.
I liked adding it to my misoshiru soup too, or other soups that could be enhanced with a kelp flavored seasoning.
Just experiment and try around, I think this seasoning has potential and could be used creatively outside the Japanese kitchen as well.
Storing
This is a “wet” seasoning, and therefore I recommend storing it in a jar in your fridge at all times.
The addition of oil and other ingredients make it more perishable than other dry seasonings, but it can still be stored for an extended period of 2 months.
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