What are dried nori and how are they made? Nutritional value, composition and effect on the body. Recipes for dishes with dry pressed seaweed.
Dried nori seaweed is a product made from the edible red seaweed of the Porphyra genus after special processing, namely drying, pressing and roasting. To consumers in Europe and the USA, lovers of oriental cuisine, this product is known as an ingredient for making sushi or rolls. Dry nori are sold in the form of pressed sheets of dark green or brown-green color of various saturation. Taste - bitter-salty, iodine, aroma - "sea". In Korea, dried kelp leaves are called kim.
Features of the manufacture of dried nori
Previously, only wealthy people could try a dish made from dried porphyry - the price for it was high. Algae learned to grow only in 1949, planting spores in oyster cages. It was from that time that the product became more accessible, it began to be produced by factories that process seaweed.
Dried nori manufacturing technology:
- A solid red "carpet" of algae bushes, the leaves of which have reached a length of 25 cm and a width of 5 cm, is cut with the help of special combines, sucking off the water with a vacuum pump. In the air, the plant quickly oxidizes and changes color to green.
- The raw materials are dried, washed, ground in a blender-like machine and laid out in a single layer on bamboo rugs lining metal trays.
- Pressed, while drying (more correctly, steaming) with a directed stream of hot air.
- Frying is carried out in large pans (usually in ghee oil), and additional pressing may be required.
- The final product - sheets of different sizes and stiffness - is packaged in sealed packages. Unpressed raw materials can be sold in the form of a pasty mass - they are laid out in plastic containers.
The process of preparing dried nori is fully automated. Currently, several varieties of products are received:
- A, Gold or Silver - sheets of a rich dark green color with a golden tint, even, shiny, plastic. When folded, they do not break.
- В, Red - the color is uneven, brownish, delamination is possible when twisted.
- C, Green - heterogeneous color, dark green, brownish, often break.
How dried nori was made at home can now only be read in books
Plates or pasta can be bought at the store, so even underprivileged people do not collect seaweed from coastal waters. In the past, divers used a knife with wide blades to cut off porphyry leaves and put them in nets attached to a belt. On the shore, they were washed first in sea water and then in running water, placed in a vat. They were compacted, mixed until crushed. Then they scooped up the green pulp with a small-perforated ladle to get rid of excess moisture and laid it out on mats, where it was dried in the sun. Already dried sheets were covered with a mat with sparse weaving on top and oppression was installed.
Note! The stripes that can be seen on the finished sheets of expensive varieties of nori are not individual fibers, but traces of screed from bamboo mats.
Composition and calorie content of dried nori seaweed
The high nutritional value of the final product is due to the roasting. The store sells sheets that can be used immediately as an ingredient for dishes without additional processing.
The calorie content of dried nori is 338-348 kcal per 100 g, of which:
- Protein - 40 g;
- Fat - 2 g;
- Carbohydrates - 40 g.
Vitamins are represented by vitamin A - 0.1 μg per 100 g.
Macronutrients per 100 g:
- Calcium, Ca - 100 mg;
- Phosphorus, Ph - 50 mg.
Microelements per 100 g:
- Iron, Fe - 0.5 mg;
- Iodine, I - 9 mcg.
Despite the high calorie content, dried nori is often introduced into the diet of those who are losing weight to replenish the reserve of nutrients. There is even a special diet on rolls: 8 pcs. for breakfast, 6 for lunch, 4 for dinner. The main thing is to choose low-calorie foods as fillings.
Useful properties of dried nori
It has been officially proven that people whose diet regularly includes products from dried algae live longer, age later, and they are less likely to develop atherosclerosis, stroke and heart attack.
Dried nori benefits:
- Antibacterial action. Suppress the vital activity of pathogenic bacteria colonizing the intestines.
- Antioxidant properties - prevent the development of oncological processes in the intestine and stop the production of atypical cells.
- Reduces the likelihood of peptic ulcer disease and erosive gastritis.
- Normalizes blood sugar levels.
- Improves brain function due to the content of omega-3 and complex carbohydrates. They increase concentration of attention, stop the development of the "scourge" of the twentieth century - Alzheimer's disease.
- They accelerate peristalsis, defecation becomes stable, the body is cleansed of the accumulation of toxins and toxins.
- Dietary fiber creates ideal conditions for the development of beneficial flora in the small intestine.
- Stabilize heart rate due to the high content of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid.
- After consumption, the feeling of satiety persists for a long time. This helps to avoid disruptions while losing weight.
- They stop atrophy of the optic nerve, reduce the risk of developing pathologies of the organ of vision - glaucoma and cataracts.
- Strengthen bone tissue and tooth enamel, stop periodontal disease. Prevents osteoporosis.
- They restore the condition in case of anemia, normalize the level of iron in the blood.
- They stabilize the work of the endocrine system and the thyroid gland - a high amount of iodine is preserved in the composition of dried nori.
- The quality of the skin and hair is improved with internal and external use.
The hypoallergenic effect of red algae and products made from it has been officially proven. Extensive trials are now underway to make drugs from the "sea gift" for hay fever and atopic diathesis.
In folk medicine, mixtures of stomatitis and other inflammations of the oral mucosa, organic diseases associated with disruption of the cardiovascular system and joints are made from dried algae.
Official research has confirmed that people who eat dried nori regularly live longer and age later.
Contraindications and harm to nori algae
Don't experiment with a new product right away. At the "first acquaintance" you should limit yourself to a small piece so as not to provoke an allergic reaction. You should be most careful with polyvalent allergies, bronchial asthma, chronic dermatological diseases - eczema or psoriasis.
Dried nori can cause harm during pregnancy, lactation, in young children.
Absolute contraindications for the use of dishes with this ingredient are Graves' disease and hyperthyroidism. An excess of iodine in the body can provoke a relapse of severe pathologies.
Despite the fact that dishes in which dried nori are introduced as an ingredient have gained wide popularity, Japanese cuisine should not be overused. Numerous medical studies have shown that the composition of microorganisms that colonize the small intestine in Europeans and Asians differs from the microflora of the Japanese. A hearty meal in a Japanese restaurant can end up with an upset stomach.
Dried nori recipes
At the mention of dried nori, rolls and sushi immediately come to mind. But these are not the only dishes made with this ingredient.
Dried nori seaweed recipes:
- Crisps … A stack of sheets is cut into equal squares with a sharp knife. Mix in a volumetric bowl or bowl 3-4 tablespoons of refined olive oil, 0.5-1 tsp. wasabi, salt. Cover a metal baking sheet with foil, grease nori on both sides with marinade using a silicone brush, sprinkle with sesame seeds, lay out in one layer on a sheet and put it in an oven preheated to 180 ° C. Bake for 2 minutes on each side.
- Shake chazuke soup … Cut the fillet of salmon or any red fish into cubes, boil, cook rice separately - 300 g. Chop a bunch of green onions and 1-2 sheets of nori. Rice is laid out on plates, 1-2 pieces of fish are added to each, poured with broth, seasoned with soy sauce, onions, sesame seeds and nori. Wasabi to taste.
- European salad … Boil 2 potatoes and carrots. Soak nori, cut into strips, in hot water. Grated potatoes are laid out in the first layer, pepper, salt and mayonnaise is applied in strips. Spread sliced fresh cucumber, onion, again potatoes and mayonnaise. Spread the algae, having previously squeezed out. Then a layer of cheese - Adyghe or feta, mayonnaise. Sprinkle with grated carrots and pine nuts on top. Leave in the refrigerator for an hour to soak the layers.
- Onigri rice balls … Boil the rice, let it cool. Nori is cut into small squares. They moisten the palms, roll the rice into small cakes, put any filling on them - fish, vegetable or sweet, for example, cream cheese, cover with rice. Shape the rice cake into an elongated cutlet and wrap it in nori.
- Rolls with squid and bacon … Cook rice (2 cups of cereals and 2.5 cups of water), boil for 14 minutes under the lid, then leave, stirring occasionally, until it cools. Defrost squid fillets, cut into strips 4-5 mm wide, boil in boiling water in salted water for 6-8 seconds. Also leave to cool. Without peeling, slice the cucumber lengthwise to get “vegetable noodles”. Fried bacon - better smoked, also cut into thin slices, from all sides until golden brown. Nori is cut into 2 or 3 pieces, depending on the amount of filling. Spread the shiny side on the mat for folding, and spread warm rice on the rough one, leveling it. It is not necessary to wet the algae - after contact with warm rice, the plasticity will increase. Fill half of the nori with rice. Slices of bacon, cucumber are placed on top, sprinkled with grated Adyghe cheese. Roll up the roll using a mat, tightening the roll with your fingers. Cut into thick slices, lay out on a platter. Served with soy sauce or wasabi.
- Dessert Moti … Rice is boiled until tender. Grind with a blender into an airy puree, form balls and bake them in the oven until they are browned, at a temperature of 180 ° C, on a sheet covered with foil. The balls are cut, filled with the filling - smoked fish or sweet cheese, wrapped in seaweed. Served with soy sauce.
Interesting facts about dried nori seaweed
Despite the fact that the first mention of the use of dried kelp dates back to the 9th century, oriental dishes with this ingredient did not reach Japan and China until the 20th century. Americans who visited Japan in the early 1900s wondered what kind of black paper the locals were eating.
Interestingly, fishermen living on the coast near Tokyo, in the Asakusa area, where the largest paper mills were built, were the first to make plates from dried algae.
For the popularity and availability of sushi, one should thank the British scientist Kathleen Mary Drew-Baker. It was she who developed the technology for growing porphyry
Kelp spores do not take root on rocks or the seabed. In order for them to emerge, a symbiosis between plants and oysters is necessary. Mature algae secrete male and female cells that combine and then invade oyster shells. Only after the final maturation, the mollusks open their valves and release ripe conchospores, which are further fixed on the stones.
To harvest, oyster colonies are first grown in a seawater pool (or in fenced areas of the ocean). With the help of metal nets, conchospores are caught, and when they take root, they are transferred to shallow water. The nets are fixed with bamboo poles. In artificial reservoirs, a higher-grade final raw material is obtained, maintaining a constant temperature and salinity of water.
The most valuable is the porphyry of the first harvest of the season, grown in natural conditions
The price of dried nori from such raw materials reaches 90 cents per piece. In total, it is possible to take 3-4 crops per year. From the moment of sowing to the collection of raw materials, it takes 40-45 days. If there are too many sprouts, then some of the nets are taken out, and the seedlings are frozen.
Dried algae are divided not only by varieties, but also by types:
- Awa-nori. These are crushed unroasted sheets or dried seaweed gruel. They are used as a condiment for various Japanese dishes, most often for noodles.
- Yaki-nori. The seams are re-roasted to enhance flavor. Those who have tried a similar addition to the diet note the similarities with sardines. As an ingredient, such a product is used for soups and hot dishes. Vegetarians often include it in their diet - it is an excellent substitute for fish and seafood, both in taste and in nutrient content.
- Nori-maki. This is a high-grade type of product. Sheets are shiny, dense - grades Gold or Silver. Interestingly, the Japanese not only make sushi and rolls from such sheets, but also cut them to make rice balls.
The most expensive dried nori are made in Japan, and the cheapest ones, which are most often offered by European supermarkets, are made in China
So that homemade sushi does not disappoint, when choosing a base, it is advisable to pay attention to the quality of the sheets. They should be dense, with smooth edges, uniformly colored. It is necessary to check the sheets for flexibility - fragility is unacceptable. If you taste a small bite, the taste of iodine and the plant is clearly felt. Since dried nori are sold packaged, you should not save money when purchasing - you need to buy grade "A". After opening the pack, the algae should be used as soon as possible. The maximum storage period is a week.
Watch a video about dried nori:
Unfried plates are sometimes sold. They can be used not only for culinary purposes, but also for cosmetic purposes. External application of dried nori in sheets that have not undergone additional processing eliminates cellulite, smoothes the skin, smoothes it and helps get rid of pigmentation. The most popular procedures based on dried nori are body wraps and face masks.
