What images does the word ‘slimy’ convey? If Google Images is of any indication, slugs, fish guts and algae-infested swamps are at the top of the list, as well as anything that makes you say “ewwww!” or that kids cannot resist running through their fingers. Hardly appetizing.
And yet, as I’ve talked about before, there are many slimy foods out there that are incredibly healthy and delicious. If you are willing to shove aside all those negative connotations, you might find that shoveling slime into your mouth can actually be a refreshing and comforting gastronomic experience, one that you could even come to crave once in a while.
If my last recipe scored a 3 out of 10 in sliminess, this recipe tops it with a score of at least 9, thanks to its star vegetable, 長芋 (nagaimo).
長芋 (nagaimo)
Nagaimo (長芋)
(Dioscorea polystachya)
Nagaimo is the root of a vine native to China. Faithful to its name (長 means long), it can grow up to a metre long. Unlike other yams and tubers, which contain toxins that must be neutralized through cooking, nagaimo can be eaten raw. Its other highly distinctive characteristic, that you will discover as soon as you start peeling off its dotted yellow skin, is that nagaimo is incredibly… slimy. Grating it does not produce distinct flecks, as a carrot would, but rather a mass of fluffy, gooey, sticky goop, called とろろ (tororo) in Japan.
とろろ (tororo) — a mass of fluffy, gooey, sticky goop
If you think this is unappealing, consider that it is exactly this oddity which makes it a prized culinary concoction in Japan, a star in in the beloved grouping of foods termed ねばねば (nebaneba) — slimy, along with natto, okra, egg yolks and certain types of mushroom and seaweed.
A word of caution when handling raw nagaimo: When touching or processing nagaimo, you may feel a slight tingling sensation on your hands. This is caused by the breaking down of certain compounds called calcium oxalates. The sensation is usually very mild and transient, but if you wish to avoid it, you may choose to wear gloves for the process. You can also alleviate the tingling sensation with a bit of vinegar. Eating raw nagaimo does not have this effect.
About the Other Ingredients
Enoki (エノキ)
(Flammulina velutipes)
A popular soup and hot pot mushroom in Japan, enoki are now commercially farmed and widely accessible.
You can find enoki in Asian supermarkets, but also, increasingly, in other grocery stores as well.
Victoria cooks head to: Fairway Market, Fisgard Market, Fujiya, Wellburns, Save On Foods (sometimes)
Naganegi, or just negi 長ねぎ
(Allium fistulosum)
The Japanese long onion (長 means long), looks like a cross between a green onion and a leek. It is delicious simmered in soups, as a topping for salads or grilled on a skewer. In this recipe, we use a special cutting technique to cut the white part of the onion into 白髪ねぎ, thin juliennes that resemble white hairs (白髪 means white hair)
You can find naganegi in most Asian supermarkets.
Victoria cooks head to: Fairway Market, Fisgard Market, Fujiya (sometimes)
Dashi (出汁)
Dashi is Japanese soup stock, and unlike French cooking stocks, it takes but a few moments and even fewer ingredients to make. You can think of it as umami magic; a golden liquid that although not very tasty on its own, can transform the dishes you use it in. As Michael Pollan remarks in his wonderful book Cooked: “Nothing about dashi, when tasted by itself, prepares you for what it does in concert with other flavors” (333). He calls it an “italicizer of flavors” and I wholeheartedly agree. The magic of dashi, he explains, comes down to the fact that each of its very few ingredients: konbu (kelp), katsuobushi (dried and smoked bonito shavings), and sometimes shiitake mushrooms, contain one of the main umami amino acids: glutamate, inosinate and guanylate, respectively (Pollan:333). In concert with each other, it’s umami fireworks, plain and simple.
As I have not posted my own recipe for making dashi, I recommend that you head over to Just One Cookbook’s comprehensive page on the subject for some excellent instructions on how to make it. I usually add a few dried shiitake mushroom to the basic awase dashi, by soaking them overnight and using the soaking liquid to make dashi.
Mentsuyu (麺汁)
Mentsuyu is a rich Japanese sauce made from soy sauce, mirin, sake, konbu (kelp) and katsuobushi (bonito flakes), used to flavour noodle dishes, stir fries and hot pots. I have written about it here, including instructions to make a sugar- and gluten-free version. It is quick and easy to make!
Shiso (しそ, 紫蘇)
(Perilla frutescens var. crispa)
Shiso is an aromatic plant in the mint family, that comes in both green and purple varieties. It is used in Japanese cooking, as a garnish or to add colour to pickled foods. It is closely related to perilla (Perilla frutescens var. frutescens), the leaves used extensively in Korean cooking. However, shiso leaves are smaller and have a much stronger mint flavour.
You can find shiso leaves at Japanese groceries
Victoria cooks head to: Fujiya
Aonori (青のり）
Aonori is green laver, a type of edible seaweed harvested from bays, dried, and finely flaked. It is usually bright green and highly aromatic. I love it!
You can find aonori at Japanese groceries
Victoria cooks head to: Fujiya
Joëlle
Serves 2
This refreshing Japanese side dish combines two highly nebaneba (slimy) foods -- nagaimo and raw egg yolks -- with slippery enoki and a rich mentsuyu-flavoured broth.
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Ingredients
- 1 pack enoki mushrooms
- 1/4 cup dashi
- Nagaimo (about 30 cm), grated
- 1/2 cup mentsuyu
- 2 pastured egg yolks
- 4 shiso leaves, chiffonaded
- 1 naganegi (Japanese long onion)
- 1 tsp aonori
Instructions
- To prepare 白髪ねぎ (shiraga negi -- long thin onion strips), cut the white part of the negi into 4-5 cm pieces. Cut the pieces in half lengthwise and remove the greenish core. Flatten and stack the remaining white parts and cut them lengthwise into very thin julienne strips. Soak the strips into cold water for 10 minutes, and drain well.
- Bring dashi and enoki to a boil and cook over medium heat for five minutes
- Divide the enoki and dashi among two bowls.
- Spoon the grated nagaimo on top of the enoki, and pour 1/4 cup of mentsuyu into each bowl.
- Top with egg yolk, shiraga negi, shiso and aonori.
Notes
Mentsuyu is a rich Japanese sauce made from soy sauce, mirin, sake, konbu (kelp) and katsuobushi (bonito flakes), used to flavour noodle dishes, stir fries and hot pots. Find the recipe here.
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References
Pollan, M. (2014). Cooked: A natural history of transformation. New York: Penguin Books.
