Seaweed is alkaline-ash food and is a strongly recommended food, which decreases the risk of adult diseases. So I stock many kinds of dried seaweed at home. Today, I happened to cook four different seaweeds into one bento. Kanten (agar) is hot now as a healthy food. It's said to regulate blood-sugar level and lowers cholesterol. It is mostly used to make jello, but this tasteless, colorless powder can be used in many ways, even in rice, and it makes the grains shine. Wakame is soft green seaweed, often used in soup or salad. Konbu is a large and thick seaweed, mostly used as soup stock. Hijiki is very black, whether dried or soaked, and it wouldn't look like food at all. I didn't like it when I was child. But it is rich in dietary fiber and essential minerals, said to aid healthy thick black hair. Lately, a foreign food inspection agency found that it contains inorganic arsenic at higher level than other seaweeds. I don't take it daily, so it doesn't matter. Numeric character appeals too strong too often, but it's not everything.
Today's nekoben:
kanten rice with sockeye salmon and wakame
fried mashed potato, pork, and onion
rolled egg with hijiki
stir-flied carrot and mushroom with konbu
Dessert: orange
