Seaweeds or jellyfish?

They were being sold at the SM Hypermarket as seaweeds but most people say they are shredded jellyfish. They’re a light golden brown, slippery and what we often find in the mixed appetizer platter in Chinese restaurants. You can also buy them in vacuum packed pouches — we did this once but the jellyfish turned out to be tough as a leather boot. The kind we found at the supermarket earlier is precooked and sold per 100 grams. I bought 250 grams for P72.00 (less than US$2.00 at current exchange rates), asked if they needed further preparation and was advised to steam them first before serving.

And that was what I did. I steamed them, tossed them with a homemade dressing and some toasted sesame seeds and served them with slices of century eggs. Together with the baby back ribs that we bought, they made a great dinner.

How to make jellyfish salad

Ingredients:

250 g. of prepared jellyfish
juice of half a lemon (rice vinegar will do too)
2 tbsps. of sugar
1 tbsp. of chili oil
a pinch of salt
1 tbsp. of toasted sesame seeds

Steam the jellyfish in briskly boiling water for one minute. Drain well. Toss quickly with the rest of the ingredients and serve at once.