This Kombu Tsukudani is perfect with rice or as a side since even in small quantities, it packs so much flavour. It’s traditionally quite salty so that it can last long (even with refrigeration) but I love mine with a good balance of sweet and salty so I tend to add more sugar to get it that nice sweetness to balance out the saltiness.
It’s up to you to season yours according to your taste and adjust the sugar as needed–do note that sake and mirin already contain some sugars.
KOMBU TSUKUDANI OR JAPANESE SIMMERED KOMBU
I first tried kombu tsukudani in Japan years ago when I visited a local grocery store that had a wide range of ready made sides and dishes that you could either reheat or enjoy cold. It had a wide selection of sides and salads, as well as of course some Kombu Tsukudani. I love kombu for the umami it gives to soups and dashi but it’s also delicious enjoyed this way with its bite and the flavours its cooked down it.
DRIED KOMBU
- I used 2 dried kombu sheets. Each was around 4×8” (~10 x 20 cm) and 30 g (dried) in total.
The kombu I used for this recipe is from my Kake Udon recipe. I soaked the kombu for my dashi and turned the soaked kombu into this simmered kombu dish.
You can check out my Kake Udon recipe here.
REHYDRATING THE KOMBU
- Skip these steps if you already have rehydrated kombu.
- If not, cut through your kombu using a pair of scissors. I like to fold mine in half and cut around five 1” (2.5 cm) cuts on each side. You can see the video below.
- Place the kombu in a large container or jar. Pour in the water.Leave the kombu and mushrooms to soak in the water overnight. I keep mine refrigerated.
- You can see my Kake Udon recipe to use your kombu dashi,
- Thinly sliced the rehydrated kombu.
SIMMERING THE KOMBU
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
See the full recipe below!
WHAT TO DO:
- Heat a medium sized pan or pot over medium. Once hot, add in the water and kombu. Leave to boil.
- Once it boils, add in the sake, mirin, soy sauces, and sugar. Mix well and leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes until the water is absorbed and the sugars start the coat the kombu. Taste the kombu and feel free to adjust to your taste.
- If your kombu is still a bit hard to the bite, you can add 2-3 tbsp more water and leave to cook a bit longer.
- Once cooked and seasoned to your taste, turn off the heat and mix in the sesame seeds.
SERVING AND STORING THE KOMBU TSUKUDANI
- Transfer to air-tight containers and allow to cool completely before refrigerating. This will be good refrigerated for 2 weeks, or even longer. I love mine served over rice. You can enjoy yours with noodles, or as a delicious appetiser or side dish.
OTHER JAPANESE RECIPES YOU MIGHT LOVE:
Kombu Tsukudani (Japanese Simmered Kombu)
Ingredients
Kombu
- 2 sheets kombu , makes 180g rehydrated (see notes)
To Simmer
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 tbsp sake
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Rehydrating Kombu
- Skip these steps if you already have rehydrated kombu.
- If not, cut through your kombu using a pair of scissors. I like to fold mine in half and cut around five 1” (2.5 cm) cuts on each side. You can see the video below.
- Place the kombu in a large container or jar. Pour in the water.Leave the kombu and mushrooms to soak in the water overnight. I keep mine refrigerated.
- You can see my Kake Udon recipe to use your kombu dashi,
Simmered Kombu
- Thinly sliced the rehydrated kombu.
- Heat a medium sized pan or pot over medium. Once hot, add in the water and kombu. Leave to boil.
- Once it boils, add in the sake, mirin, soy sauces, and sugar. Mix well and leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes until the water is absorbed and the sugars start the coat the kombu. Taste the kombu and feel free to adjust to your taste.
- If your kombu is still a bit hard to the bite, you can add 2-3 tbsp more water and leave to cook a bit longer.
- Once cooked and seasoned to your taste, turn off the heat and mix in the sesame seeds.
- Transfer to air-tight containers and allow to cool completely before refrigerating. This will be good refrigerated for 2 weeks, or even longer. I love mine served over rice. You can enjoy yours with noodles, or as a delicious appetiser or side dish.
WATCH Video
Notes
Kombu
- I used 2 dried kombu sheets. Each was around 4×8” (~10 x 20 cm) and 30 g (dried) in total.
- The kombu I used for this recipe is from my Kake Udon recipe. I soaked the kombu for my dashi and turned the soaked kombu into this simmered kombu dish.
- You may need to adjust the seasoning to your taste depending on how much kombu you have.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
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This Post Has 5 Comments
Easy to follow and perfectly delicious. I appreciated the link from the kake udon recipe so as not to waste the kombu!
Thanks Beverly!! ◡̈
Can you not add sake in this recipe? How much would it affect the taste? What can I substitute with?
Hi Kee! Yes you can skip the sake and just use more mirin. You may need to lessen the sugar a bit since mirin contains more sugar than sake. Hope this helps! ◡̈
Thank you! Jeeca I will try this out!