remember Kraft Accent? that was pure msg. my guest lived 5 months in china, and she said there was no way of avoiding msg there.
why would people need msg unless the food was tasteless without it?
anyway, i don't eat this for the natural msg in it, but it's a nice collateral. it helps beans cook quicker, for a start. it's just kelp, the fastest growing plant on the planet!
Kombu Seaweed Profile & Information
Kombu Seaweed Profile Also known as- Laminaria japonica, konbu Introduction Kombu is a well-known dark, green, long thick sea vegetable from the kelp family. Used frequently in Japanese cooking, it is an essential ingredient of dashi, and as a flavorful stock for soups and stews. Can also be sprinkled and crushed in practically any dish which requires a salty taste. Constituents More than other seaweeds, kombu is a rich source of glutamates, notably monosodium glutamate (MSG), the chemical that lends its distinctive flavor to dashi. Parts Used Entire plant, dried. Typical preparations You can find kombu in 5 to 6-inch (12 to 15 cm) dried pieces from online purveyors of natural herbs and alsoin health food stores and Japanese groceries. In the specialty shop you will find nalto kombu (shredded kombu for quick cooking), tororo kombu (shaved kombu in vinegar requiring little or no cooking), shio-kombu (boiled kombu flavored with soy sauce), kombu-zuke (lightly pickled kombu), and kombu-ko (powdered kombu that can be sprinkled on food or used in drinks). Summary Not only rich in flavor by virtue of natural MSG, kombu also provides healing and soothing mucilages that coat the lower digestion tract relieving peri-anal inflammation, colitis, and constipation. Precautions Use with caution if you are sensitive to MSG. If you have hyperthyroidism, limit use to once a week.
Also known as- Laminaria japonica, konbu
Introduction Kombu is a well-known dark, green, long thick sea vegetable from the kelp family. Used frequently in Japanese cooking, it is an essential ingredient of dashi, and as a flavorful stock for soups and stews. Can also be sprinkled and crushed in practically any dish which requires a salty taste.
Constituents More than other seaweeds, kombu is a rich source of glutamates, notably monosodium glutamate (MSG), the chemical that lends its distinctive flavor to dashi.
Parts Used Entire plant, dried.
Typical preparations You can find kombu in 5 to 6-inch (12 to 15 cm) dried pieces from online purveyors of natural herbs and alsoin health food stores and Japanese groceries. In the specialty shop you will find nalto kombu (shredded kombu for quick cooking), tororo kombu (shaved kombu in vinegar requiring little or no cooking), shio-kombu (boiled kombu flavored with soy sauce), kombu-zuke (lightly pickled kombu), and kombu-ko (powdered kombu that can be sprinkled on food or used in drinks).
Summary Not only rich in flavor by virtue of natural MSG, kombu also provides healing and soothing mucilages that coat the lower digestion tract relieving peri-anal inflammation, colitis, and constipation.
Precautions Use with caution if you are sensitive to MSG. If you have hyperthyroidism, limit use to once a week.
i use the whole sea veggie in grains and beans, and powdered as a condiment, for 30 years now.
in fact the tastiest recipe for sea veg i ever tasted is with kombu.
you cook it in boiling water for 40 mins or so, (or take it out of the beans when it's done), then pat the pieces dry, and fry them in olive or sesame oil, and season with a little garlic and a few drops of tamari/shoyu/ properly fermented soysauce, until crispy. don't let it cook until it dissolves into jelly, but don't take them out to fry too soon, or all you'll have is tasty sea-jerky leather.
flavour: amazing, essential, earthy, oceany, the texture crunchy, very pleasurable.
great way to get trace minerals and iodine too.
food is the best medicine! ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
dulse was the first one i tried, and i got such a good hit i ate the whole packet!
then i got turned on to sushi nori, which we'd roll with all sorts of things like salads, not just rice and wasabi.
then i tried a wakame/tomato salad, and that was a knockout. then i started feeling when i didn't eat them for a while, so started using regularly.
the fried crispy kombu, that is by far the best though... hiziki is the strongest flavour, i wouldn't start with that one, though there are some great recipes for it. if you soak seaweed, pour the water onto your animal's food, or on plants.
agar-agar is useful for gels.
i go to an ethnic food shop too, we get shitake mushrooms there at about a sixth of the price of the health food store. ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
