Wakame furikake

Fukikake and rice. It's the easiest meal I can think of. When I was in school, I would often mix my furikake and rice and make an onigiri. The fancy furikake in the refrigerated section in Japanese stores isn't cheap. The other day I was wondering around a grocery store and had a craving for fresh furikake and ended up paying 5 dollars for one tiny 1.7 oz. (50gram) bag.

I decided it was time to start making my own furikake. It's simple and hardly takes any effort at all. Plus you can use a mallet or surikogi (Japanese pestle) to mash it up and that's always fun. This furikake has two types of seaweed and served on a steaming bowl of white rice, reminds me of the ocean.

Ingredients
3/4 cup of dried wakame (seedweed) They come pre cut in plastic bags.
2 teaspoons of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of mirin
1 tablespoon of toasted white or golden sesame seeds
1 tablespoon of aonori (another variety of dried seaweed)
1 teaspoon of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt (optional)

1) Put the wakame into a plastic ziplock bag and smash it with a mallet or surikogi stick. If you have a mortar and pestle that works well also.
2) Use a non stick frying pan and on low heat add the wakame and toast for about 1 minute.
3) Turn off the stove and add the soy sauce, mirin and continue to toast with a wooden spoon.
4) Add the sesame seeds and stir.
5) Let cool a bit and add the aonori and sugar.
6) Cool completely and store in an air tight tight container.

Serve on a steaming bowl of rice to release the oceany goodness of the seaweed.

I'm using a Japanese mortar and pestle. Use your free hand to shield the pieces from flying out. You can use the plastic bag but I'm trying to be a little green.


Crush into small pieces. You don't want large chunks.


Add the sesame seeds.


Add the aonori.


Serve with a hot bowl of rice.


You can also mix it into a bowl of hot rice, salt your hands with sea salt and ball it up into a musubi (Japanese rice ball).