The Hackney Butchers Association

Seaweeds are super-health foods.  They have very low fat and are packed with minerals that they take from the sea.  Some of them taste good too.  Phew. There are three main types of seaweed used in Japanese cooking. Kombu, Wakame & Nori. Kombu are large flat sheets of kelp (Laminaria), usually sold dried. It is mostly used to flavour stocks and is a key ingredient in making dashi. Once the stock is right, the seaweed is then thrown away. It can be eaten though, if simmered for 20mins. In China it is called kunbu. Wakame is also often sold dried & then soaked before using. It is the type added to Miso soups.  Delicious stuff! Nori are the flat sheets of seaweed used in many sushi dishes, california rolls etc.  It's also sometimes shredded and put over noodles.  It comes from a purple/red algae called Porphyra. The Chinese call it zicai.

It's part sweet, part fishy.  Deilicious! This is cheap, easy, and very more-ish. It takes 15mins. RECIPE BELOW:

Miso pastes can be made from Soya, Rice or Barley. Full info here The main types are: Sweet White Miso (Shiro Miso) is the type usually used with dashi for soups, and for dressings. Light-yelow Miso (Shinsu Miso) The most commonly used one. Red Miso (Awase Miso) is a saltier, stronger paste. There are loads of other variations used in Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Indonesian cooking. Always add the miso towards the end of cooking when making soups or stocks, as over-heating will reduce the flavour. I've been wanting to cook some Miso poached salmon for ages.  I'm going to try out a few different pastes and will post my findings....   I came across this Japanese mail order company, for anywhere in the UK & Europe. http://www.japanesefoodshop.co.uk