Hijiki Gomoku-ni (Simmered Hijiki with Vegetables)
ひじきの五目煮 · Hijiki no Gomoku-ni
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Hijiki no gomoku-ni is one of the most familiar side dishes in Japanese home cooking and school lunches: dark, delicate strands of hijiki seaweed simmered with carrot, freeze-dried tofu, fried tofu pouch and green beans in a lightly sweet dashi and soy sauce broth. The seasoning is mild, and everything is cut small and cooked until soft, so even toddlers can manage it with a spoon. The koya-dofu and aburaage soak up the broth like little sponges, which is what makes children come back for more of a dish that is mostly seaweed. It also mixes well into rice if your child is unsure about it at first.
Wheat-free, but uses soy sauce (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow it, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels
Added. Open the recipe helper (bottom right) → ☰ Menu → 🛒 Shopping list to see the ingredients for your family size.
Printing uses the number of adults and children set under Ingredients, so set those first.
Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 2 gdried hijiki seaweedShort, black strands of dried seaweed with a mild, earthy flavor that are soaked before simmering. Substitute: Dried wakame or arame.
- 8 gcarrot
- 2 gkoya-dofu (freeze-dried tofu)Shelf-stable blocks of freeze-dried tofu that are soaked to rehydrate and soak up simmering broth beautifully. Substitute: Firm tofu, pressed and cubed.
- 2 gaburaage (fried tofu pouch)Thin slices of tofu deep-fried until puffy and golden, sold in packs in the refrigerated section of Japanese and Asian markets. Substitute: Firm tofu, thinly sliced and pan-fried until golden.
- 3.9 ggreen beans
Seasonings
- 1.5 gsugar
- 1.5 gsoy sauce
- 52.5 gdashi stockJapanese soup stock, usually made from kombu (dried kelp) and/or bonito flakes; the base of most Japanese soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a mild unsalted chicken or vegetable stock.
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- dried hijiki seaweed (干しひじき)
- Short, black strands of dried seaweed with a mild, earthy flavor that are soaked before simmering. Substitute: Dried wakame or arame.
- koya-dofu (freeze-dried tofu) (高野豆腐)
- Shelf-stable blocks of freeze-dried tofu that are soaked to rehydrate and soak up simmering broth beautifully. Substitute: Firm tofu, pressed and cubed.
- aburaage (fried tofu pouch) (油揚げ)
- Thin slices of tofu deep-fried until puffy and golden, sold in packs in the refrigerated section of Japanese and Asian markets. Substitute: Firm tofu, thinly sliced and pan-fried until golden.
- dashi stock (だし汁)
- Japanese soup stock, usually made from kombu (dried kelp) and/or bonito flakes; the base of most Japanese soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a mild unsalted chicken or vegetable stock.
Directions
- 1
Soak the hijiki in water to rehydrate it. Cut the carrot into short, thin strips. Rehydrate the koya-dofu, squeeze out the water and cut it into 1 cm dice. Pour boiling water over the aburaage to remove excess oil, then cut it into short, thin strips.
- 2
Cut the green beans diagonally into 2 cm pieces and boil them.
- 3
Put the dashi stock and carrot in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the hijiki, koya-dofu, aburaage and sugar, and simmer until everything is soft.
- 4
Add the soy sauce and simmer a little longer, then stir in the green beans from step 2.
Sugar has large molecules, so it takes time to soak into the ingredients. It also helps soften them. That is why the sugar goes in first: it tenderizes the ingredients and lets the sweetness seep all the way in before the soy sauce is added.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 33 kcal | 66 kcal | 33 kcal |
| Protein | 2 g | 3.9 g | 2 g |
| Fat | 1.2 g | 2.4 g | 1.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 4.1 g | 8.1 g | 4.1 g |
| Fiber | 1.4 g | 2.7 g | 1.4 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.3 g | 0.6 g | 0.3 g |
| Calcium | 42 mg | 84 mg | 42 mg |
| Iron | 0.3 mg | 0.6 mg | 0.3 mg |
| Potassium | 199.5 mg | 399 mg | 199.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 33 kcal | 2 g | 1.2 g | 4.1 g | 1.4 g | 0.3 g | 42 mg | 0.3 mg | 199.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 66 kcal | 3.9 g | 2.4 g | 8.1 g | 2.7 g | 0.6 g | 84 mg | 0.6 mg | 399 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
Ingredients in this recipe
You might also like
All recipes →
Hijiki no Nimono (Simmered Hijiki Seaweed)
Simmered Kiriboshi Daikon (Dried Shredded Daikon)
Stir-Fried Kohaku Namasu (Daikon and Carrot)
Hijiki no Irini (Simmered Hijiki Seaweed)
Simmered Daikon and Potatoes (Nimono)
