Most Commonly Used Species of Red Algae

Algae can be useful in many different situations. Algae are for instance used as food for humans as well as for live stock, and it is also included in various health products and cosmetics. Seaweed is predominately gulped down in South-East Asia, especially in China, Japan, and Korea, but it is becoming more and more popular outside this range for each year that passes.

If you want to include more algae in your diet you can for instance try red algae from the genus Porphyra for the help www.july4-recipes.com. In Asian cuisine, this alga is commonly referred to as nori. It is not commonly eaten fresh; it is instead harvested, dried and pressed into thin sheets. These sheets are then used in all sorts of dishes, from sushi and soups to sauces and condiments. The two most commonly used species of red algae are Porphyra yezoensis and Porphyra tenera.

Do you think that you have never eaten algae? I think you have! As a matter of fact, the next time you gulp down some ice cream or pour syrup over your desert you might be eating brown algae. Alginic acid, a popular stabilizer for emulsions and suspensions, is derived from brown algae. In addition to the food industry, it is also appreciated by paint producers.

Brown algae are not the only type of algae that can be used to stabilize food for cookies. Red algae are used to make the products Agar and Carrageenan which works wonders when you need to stabilize food products such as puddings and canned meat. Agar is also used by scientists who need to grow bacteria, fungi and cell structures on a nutritious gel, while Carrageenan is a popular addition to shampoos.

Wish to try some mouth-watering algae dishes in your own kitchen? Here is a recipe for Seaweed Soup.

Ingredients:
• 1 pound of chicken - sliced
• 2 quarts of water
• 1 cube of chicken bouillon
• 1 (8 ounce) can of sliced water chestnuts
• 3 sheets of nori (dry seaweed)
• 1 egg
• Salt to taste
• 4 green onions
• 3/4 teaspoon of sesame oil
What to do:
1.) Cook the sliced chicken over medium heat until browned. Use a large saucepan because you will be adding more ingredients.
2.) Drain off excess fat.
3.) Add water and bring it to a boil.
4.) Reduce the heat down to medium again and leave the dish to simmer without a lid on for roughly 15 minutes.
5.) Stir in the bouillon cube and make sure that it dissolves completely.
6.) Add the chestnuts.
7.) Break the nori into peaces and add to the saucepan.
8.) Beat the egg in a separate bowl.
9.) Stir in the egg.
10.) Add salt to taste.
11.) Chop the green onions.
12.) Remove the saucepan from the heat before adding the onions.
13.) Stir in sesame oil.
14.) Bon appetite!

Lets try it....

Seaweed in Sushi Recipe

Sushi is a delicious, healthy and easy to prepare food. Deciding on and finding your ingredients, preparing the beautiful presentation, and enjoying your creation are all part of the fun of sushi. Finding a great sushi recipe is the first step in putting together a wonderful meal.

Sushi, traditionally, refers to rice, but it has developed to include the whole concept of the finger food. It commonly is a fish or vegetable, served with vinegar rice. A sushi recipe can be presented in several ways. Some common ways are wrapped in seaweed, served in a bowl, in bite size pieces or in a cone type wrap. Wide ranges of vegetables, seafood, and shellfish are used throughout a sushi recipe.

There are some common ingredients that you should always have on hand to prepare a good sushi recipe. These include seaweed, called nori, rice, and sushi vinegar. These are the base ingredients you will need to start with for any sushi recipe. Several sauces such as soy sauce, and wasabi; a spicy paste like substance, are commonly served with sushi to enhance the flavor. Common vegetables in a sushi recipe include carrots, cucumber, peppers, and avocado. Common seafood used in sushi recipes are crab, salmon, octopus, and shrimp. This is by no means an exhaustive list of what you can use in your sushi recipe. The sky is the limit. Get creative as you like with your sushi recipe.

Where can you find a good sushi recipe? There are several great places where you can find a good sushi recipe. A great place to start is the Internet. By doing a quick search through a search engine for sushi recipe, you can find some great websites that will provide you with a great sushi recipe. Often, they will provide you with detailed pictures and instructions that can help when preparing your sushi recipe. Also, try bookstores for their cookbook selections or local sushi restaurants to see if they will share their sushi recipe.

There are several pieces of kitchen equipment that can help you in preparing a sushi recipe. One of the most important pieces of equipment is a sharp knife. A sharp knife is essential in cutting and preparing the ingredients for your sushi recipe. It will allow you to cut your fish into thin slices, slice vegetables into attractive shapes and designs, and do all of these with ease. Another very helpful piece of equipment is a bamboo mat, traditionally called sushimaki sudare or makisu. This mat is what you use when you roll your sushi such as in a California roll. It is possible to roll with your hands, but the rice can be very sticky, so the mat can help eliminate a little frustration while preparing your sushi recipe. Other equipment such as rice cookers and sushi presses can also help make the preparation quicker, but they are not essential for preparing a good sushi recipe.

A final touch in the presentation of your sushi recipe is the plates and dishes you serve them on and the utensils that you use to eat them. Patterned china dishes, saucers, and cups are a beautiful touch. You can also use matching dispensers for items such as soy sauce. Often, chopsticks are used when eating sushi. Chopsticks come in all styles from wooded to metal and can complement your presentation beautifully. You can also eat sushi with your fingers, so make sure to have some nice matching napkins with the dishes.

It is easy to find the ingredients you need to complete your sushi recipe. Sushi recipes generally use basic ingredients that can be found easily. Many of the ingredients, if not all, can be purchased at most local grocery stores. If your grocery store does not carry what you need, try asking them to bring it in. Many companies will bring in supplies that are requested by their customers. For more complicated recipes that require special ingredients, many Asian specialty stores carry the more obscure ingredients on a regular basis. These stores can provide hard to find sushi recipe ingredients, often directly from Asian suppliers. A final option for finding your sushi recipe ingredients is online. There are countless websites that you can use to order everything from your good ingredients to equipment to finishing touches such as utensils.

Sushi is a wonderful food style. It's fun to follow a sushi recipe and see your final result. Many people consider preparing a sushi recipe an art form. It can be an exciting addition to your family dinner or an impressive dinner party concept. With a great sushi recipe, you can make out standing delicacies. It can be a great bonding event; gather the family together and everyone can make their own sushi dish. Grab your sushi recipe, your ingredients, your equipment, and have some fun.

An Ancient Korean Health Food

Seaweed soup, called Mi-Yuk Gook in Korean, has been a staple in the Korean diet for much of Korea's 5000 year history.

For Koreans living all over the world, seaweed soup is a must for all pregnant women and students.

Seaweed is amazingly effective at stimulating healthy milk production in nursing moms. Any mom who wants to ensure healthy breast milk production can virtually guarantee it by eating seaweed soup during pregnancy and the nursing period.

Seaweed is also an excellent blood cleanser and is believed to support optimal brain function, making it a staple for Korean students, especially the night before an important exam.

In the spring of 2005, North Korea began producing candies made out of seaweed to encourage the country's children to grow tall, strong, and smart. These popular candies are made out of seaweed, beans, carrots, and sesame seeds.

Easy seaweed soup

Seaweed soup is served at most Korean meals because it is tasty and so easy to make. Especially after a lesson from my mother-in-law. Here is the way to have seaweed soup in under thirty minutes:

Simple Seaweed Soup

1/4 cup dried seaweed

5 cups water

2+ cloves garlic

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Some salt, black pepper is optional

1/4 cup clams or oysters (optional, frozen is okay)

1 tablespoon tuna extract (optional)

Measure out seaweed into a small bowl and add just enough water to soak. Cut garlic into disks. Add sesame oil to pot, grill the garlic lightly. Then stir the wet seaweed and optional clams/oysters in with the oil and garlic for about 2 minutes. Pour in water, stir in soy sauce and salt to taste. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Cook it in a stainless steel storage container so it can go into the fridge afterwards. Seaweed soup is said to be good for a woman’s reproductive system plus it’s a good source of iodine for everyone else ~ and no one has confirmed whether salt in Korea is iodized.