The France Chef

Hiziki and Carrots

In a shallow bowl, soak:

1/2 oz. hiziki seaweed (arame may be substituted)

in a little cold water for about 10 minutes, or until soft. (Arame will take rather less time; to use less water, turn the seaweed frequently with your fingers.)

While the seaweed soaks, wash

3 carrots

and "cut into matchsticks" as Lima Oshawa puts it: thin julienne strips about 1 1/2 - 2 inches long. Sauté the carrots in:

1 - 1 1/2 Tbs. toasted sesame oil

Until they just begin to soften, then add the seaweed and

a little tamari soy sauce

Cook at medium heat, turning frequently and adding a little of the soaking water as needed to keep things moist.

While the vegetables cook, toast

2 Tbs. raw sesame seeds

in a small dry skillet over a hot flame (use no oil!) shaking the pan frequently. As soon as the sesame seeds start to turn color and release their characteristic fragrance, pour them onto the vegetables. Toss together and serve.

Notes:

Ruth's and Joachim's favorite. Everybody's favorite, really.

I'm told that lotus root works even better than carrots. I wouldn't know.

I swear I got this from some macrobiotic cookbook, but I can't find any exact source now that I look. Sea vegeatables and roots cooked this way are more or less a constant of macrobiotic cooking, though.