Most people are more familiar with the seaweed salad at Japanese restaurants, but there’s also a Taiwanese seaweed salad that is extra garlicky, with the tang of sweet and sour. At Taiwanese restaurants, I usually see this dish made with seaweed strips, which is how my mom started making it when we were kids. At some point, she decided to use seaweed knots instead and I liked it even more. It’s extra bouncy where the knot is and I get pretty addicted to the chewing of them.

Garlicky Seaweed Knots 2

I realize that the seaweed knots may seem unfamiliar to some of you but they are so cheap at about $1.49 per pound (3 cups came out to $0.98), that it’s worth a shot right? Seaweed is so good for you too. You should be able to find it at most Chinese supermarkets, kept in large bins, soaking in water.

Seaweed Knot 3

Now that you are convinced, save this recipe as the perfect make-ahead. My mom used this dish a lot when she was preparing large holiday meals and she had to spread the preparation out for days. It has to be made at least 8 hours before you want to serve it, but then it keeps for at least a week.

Garlicky Seaweed Knots
~4 side dish servings

  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 3 cups seaweed knots, rinsed
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce

Instructions –

1. Heat wok over medium heat until just starting to smoke. Add oil and swirl to coat. Add seaweed knots and toss and stir for a few seconds. Stir in garlic. Add vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce, and toss and stir for another minute. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Seaweed Knots in Wok 2

2. Transfer to an airtight container and chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight. Serve cold or at room temperature. Can be kept in the refrigerator for 1 week.

Garlicky Seaweed Knots 5

posted by jessica at 09:23 AM Filed under Chinese, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.