Addictive Shio Kombu Okra (やみつき塩こんぶオクラ)

Japanese, Side Dishes

Cook Time: 1 min Total Time: 10 mins Servings: 2 servings Source:

Ingredients

8–10 okra

5 g shio kombu (salted kelp)

1 tbsp white sesame seeds

1 tbsp mentsuyu (2x concentrated)

2 tsp sesame oil

salt as needed (for rubbing the okra)

Directions

Boil the okra: rub the okra with salt and rinse well. Boil for about 1 minute, then cool in cold water and pat dry thoroughly.

Cut: trim the ends and cut each okra diagonally into 2–3 large pieces.

Mix: add the okra, shio kombu, sesame seeds, mentsuyu and sesame oil to a bowl and mix well. Let it sit for about 5 minutes so the shio kombu softens and the flavours blend, then serve.

Notes

Vegan: regular mentsuyu contains bonito (katsuobushi) — use a vegan mentsuyu (kombu/shiitake), or soy sauce + a little mirin. Check the shio kombu label too.

Tips from the original: don't boil longer than ~1 min to keep the texture; large diagonal cuts give more bite; the 5-minute rest lets the kombu umami soak in.