Description
昆布（6 oz/包）
Herba Laminariae/Khumbu (6oz/Bag)
A member of the kelp family, kombu is a versatile pantry ingredient that provides dishes with umami flavor, nutrients, and minerals. Dried kombu can be used to make broth, added to beans to make them more digestible, and eaten in salads. Most kombu comes from Hokkaidō, Japan.
What's it taste like? Because of the high concentration of glutamic acids, a building block of MSG, kombu is filled with umami. It's not fishy at all, with a briny, almost mushroom-like flavor.
Don't wash kombu under running water or in water; instead, wipe any dirt off it with a cloth. The whitish powder adds flavour; that is why you don't want to wash it away. It needs to be soaked at least 20 minutes before use, unless simmering it for dashi.
It is a rich source of iron and potassium. . . some people use laminaria as medicine. Laminaria is taken by mouth for weight loss, high blood pressure, as a bulk laxative for constipation, and for treating radiation sickness. It is also used for preventing cancer.
