Miso with seaweed soup - what is the seaweed?

[Paul_B]

My partner came home from the big city with a large pack of sachet miso soup in seaweed flavour. They come in two sachets, one of a pastge and another of dry "seaweed". Bought from a pukka asian supermarket in a city with a Chinese community (China Town) and a Japanese community too.

So it is looking like an import food product but what is the seaweed? Anyone know what it could be? Real seaweed or something like kale which a lot of chinese takeaways use deep fried as their crispy seaweed. Different country cuisine but that put me off trusting seaweed claims from asian sources somehow.

I only ask because it goes soft and does feel kind of rubbery / slimy if that makes sense. Kind of like a thinner and softer version of wet kelp leaves or perhaps the non bladder part of he bladder type seaweed common in rockpools, before they dry out that is. They feel seaweedy to me just curious if there are any knowledgable people on miso soup seaweeds.

 

[Toddy]

There's a couple of types of this.
Either it's broken up whole leaf (usually kelp of some kind) or it's sort of pulped and spread out to dry and cut into sheets and strips.

If it's whole leaf bits then it 'writhes' in the hot miso as it swells up, the soup looks like it's boiling in the bowl/mug.
The more sushi wrap type stuff doesn't do that I find.

The kelp or konbu (I think that's right) is an unami kind of flavouring as well as being good for you.

British and Irish seaweeds are very good

 

[slowworm]

Most supermarkets sell seaweed and various soups and meals with real seaweed in. Did the ingredients not tell you what one?

It does sound like kelp/kombu/konbu but there's all sorts. I've been using various ones from the Cornish Seaweed Company and they are pleasantly mild tasting and have picked up packets of cheep Korean Wakame seaweed from Lidl that has a stronger seaweed taste.

 

[Toddy]

While we're on the topic though; there are no poisonous seaweeds....just avoid the blue/green or red tide algae....and the British Isles have a good variety
From dulse and kelp to sea lettuce, laver and carragheen, they're all edible and tasty.

The usual varieties in the Japanese/Korean mixes seen to be wakame, nori and kombu.

Sometimes the seaweed tastes better if it's been roasted first.
Fun to try, fun to suss it out

 

[John Fenna]

Try Laverbread with Haggis for breakfast - Celtic fusion at its best!

 

[GreyCat]

Laverbread, cockles and bacon in the Swansea/Gower area......

The laverbread is often rolled in oatmeal.

Bit of butter in the frying pan, cook bacon, add the cockles and laverbread.

Yum yum.

GC

 

[Mesquite]

Last I knew of it Chinese seaweed is actually spring greens cabbage which is deep-fried until crispy.

 

[Paul_B]

No idea what the ingredients were exactly but I do not recall seeing an ingredientss list A lot of Japanese character though. It is not your usual supermarket product but an "Asian" market kind of a place.

The leaves has an edge to them that looked a little like one side of an oak leaf if that makes sense. Kind of slightly lobed edge, not waavy like I recall Kelp to be. It looked more natural than reconsituted sheet form like used on sushi. I think it moved around as the miso paste was dissolving in the hot water.

It was actually quite nice and didn't taste too salty.

 

[Paul_B]

Last I knew of it Chinese seaweed is actually spring greens cabbage which is deep-fried until crispy.

I heard Kale was used hence the darker green but I guess any green leaf deep fried and broken up would do I guess.

 

[HillBill]

Last I knew of it Chinese seaweed is actually spring greens cabbage which is deep-fried until crispy.

Pak choi is what is commonly used.