(this and previous by Boingboing)
THEY are called echizen kurage and they sound like monsters from the trashier reaches of Japanese science fiction.
They are 6ft wide and weigh 450lb (200kg), with countless poisonous tentacles, they have drifted across the void to terrorise the people of Japan. Vast armadas of the slimy horrors have cut off the country’s food supply. As soon as one is killed more appear to take its place.
.....
Finally, the quarrelsome governments of the region are banding together to unite against the enemy...
...rather than just complaining about jellyfish they are eating them.
Jellyfish are an unusual ingredient of Japanese cuisine but are much more prized in China. Coastal communities are doing their best to promote jellyfish as a novelty food, sold dried and salted.
Students in Obama have managed to turn them into tofu, and jellyfish collagen is reported to be beneficial to the skin....
No, we don't eat them here, at least not in our inland area...but here is a recipe...
1/2 lb Dried, salted whole
-jellyfish
1 1-pound daikon radish
2 ts Salt
1/2 lg Chicken breast
1/2 Egg white
1 ts Cornstarch
1 ts Sesame oil
1/2 ts Salt
1 1/2 ts Sugar
2 ts Dry sherry
3 tb Peanut oil
2 tb Sesame oil
3 Scallions, chopped
Soak the jellyfish in a large bowl of cold water for 24 hours,
changing the water a couple of times. Peel the daikon with a
vegetable peeler; slice thinly; stack slices and cut into matchstick
shreds. Put into a mixing bowl, toss with the 2 teaspoons of salt
and let stand 1 hour.
Meanwhile, drain water from jellyfish. Pour boiling water over the
jellyfish and let stand for 15 seconds. Drain and run under cold
water. Set aside.
Bone the chicken breast and slice thinly; cut slices into shreds. Mix
chicken with the egg white, cornstarch and teaspoon of sesame oil;
refrigerate for 30 minutes.
While the chicken is marinating, cut jellyfish into the thinnest
possible shreds by rolling up each sheet and slicing it thinly.
Place in a large bowl. Wring most of the moisture from the daikon
shreds; add to the bowl with the jellyfish. Heat 3 cups water in a
saucepan. When boiling, turn off the heat and add the chicken
shreds, stirring to separate the pieces. Simmer for 1 minute. Drain
and rinse under cold water. Drain and add to the bowl with the
jellyfish.
Blend the salt and sugar with the wine until they dissolve. Heat the
oils in a saucepan and add the seasoned wine. It will sputter and
evaporate. When the oil is hot++don't let it smoke++turn off the heat
and add the scallions. Cool. Toss with the salad just before
serving.
(Recipe by Stephen Ceideburg; February 26 1991.)
