Braised Kelp Knots (Lu Haidaijie)
Kelp and octagon are a miracle fusion! A black ribbon that supports Taiwanese lunches
Description
'Haidaijie'—thick kelp tied like ribbons—simmered gooey (or slightly crunchy) in herb soy soup infused with pork umami. Taiwan's national side dish.
Restaurants serving Braised Kelp Knots (Lu Haidaijie)
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On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Kelp knots(Haidaijie)
- Master Lu Zhi(infused with pork umami)
- Soy sauce
- Star anise
- Sesame oil
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- [Kelp Desalting & Washing] Repeatedly massage-wash salted 'Haidaijie (kelp knots)' sold in markets/supers in water, completely dropping saltiness and intense surface slime (*Remaining slime muddies soup gooey).
- [Lu Zhi Aiming for Synergy] Kelp itself yields supreme 'glutamic acid (ocean umami)', so simmering using 'Lao Lu' after simmering pork/offal (inosinic acid) is the absolute condition making it overwhelmingly delicious.
- [Heating to Preferred Firmness] Toss Haidaijie into boiling soup. Taiwan is divided into 'Crunchy faction' and 'Gooey faction'; for crunchy, simmer on low
- mins; for gooey loved by elderly/kids, slow-simmer 40-
- mins. Star anise aroma and kelp ocean scent fuse perfectly; taste of home for Taiwanese.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Sweet medicinal star anise aroma and intense kelp ocean scent
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
Japanese sliced kelp (untied)
Pairing
Pai Gu Fan(Taiwan pork bento)、Taiwanese omelet(Caipu Dan)
Trivia
[For Everyone] A national side dish absolutely enshrined alongside Doufu Gan (dried tofu) in corners of Taiwan eateries (Zizhu Can) and bentos. Unlike Japanese sweet/salty kelp Tsukudani, the strong star anise punch makes you intensely realize 'Ah, I'm in Taiwan', a shadow star of B-grade gourmet.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Toss with 'grated garlic' and 'sesame oil' right before eating, demonically modifying Buddhist-like kelp into a hearty stamina snack!
Allergen
Soy, Wheat (from soy sauce)