A Vegan Guide To Cooking With Wakame

What is wakame?

The edible seaweed, wakame, has been eaten in Japan and Korea for centuries because of its unique taste and texture. It’s most famously an integral part of seaweed salads but is also a popular addition to soups and stews. 

Photo credits: Asian Test Kitchen

Is wakame healthy? 

As is true of many types of seaweed, wakame is a great source of calcium. It’s also low in calories but high in many key nutrients that are good for our general health. It’s also believed to:

• Improve heart health
• Aid weight loss
• Reduce blood pressure
• Lower cholesterol 

 How to prepare dried wakame

It’s easiest to follow the instructions on the packet, but if there aren’t any then the following steps should do the trick.

Photo credits: Asian Test Kitchen

Dried wakame is easy to come by and highly convenient, but it needs to be rehydrated before you cook with it. This is easily achieved by quickly pouring boiling water over the dried seaweed before then submerging it in cold water. This will help you get the best texture. 

What to cook with wakame

Why not try making a staple wakame dish of Korean seaweed salad? We love this vegan-friendly recipe from Asian Test Kitchen (pictured above).

If you fancy making some canapes that include wakame, then you must try this recipe for vegan smoked ‘salmon’ blinis from our Development Chef, Iona.

Make sure to keep your plant-based food questions coming our way through the comments section below!