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Spelt Risotto with Red Bell Pepper and Hijiki

by Divina P in Rouxbe Recipes

This dish can be served either as a main course or as a side dish. Either way, this dish is full of flavor with minimal ingredients.

  • Serves: 4 to 6
  • Active Time: 45 mins
  • Total Time: 45 mins
  • Comments: 7
  • Views: 3200
  • Success 100%

Step 1: Cooking the Spelt

Cooking the Spelt

To cook the spelt, drain spelt berries and rinse them thoroughly under cold running water through a strainer and remove any dirt or debris that you may find. Drain well.

Place in a pot and add water and salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cover. Simmer for about 1 hour, or until chewy but tender.

Please see note.

  • 1 cup spelt (soaked overnight)
  • 2-1/2 - 3 cups water
  • 1 tsp sea salt

Step 2: Soaking the Hijiki

Soaking the Hijiki

Combine the hijiki and cold water in a bowl and let it soak for about 10 minutes or until they're soft but still "al dente". I soak them for just 5 minutes. Strain through a strainer and rinse, then, drain well.

Hijiki water has a strong flavor but you can save the water to hydrate your plants.

  • 2 tbsp dried hijiki
  • 1 cup room temperature water

Step 3: Prepraring your Mise en Place

Prepraring your Mise en Place

To prepare your mise en place, peel and finely diced the onion, red bell pepper and the green onions. Gather the sake, soy sauce and the cooked spelt.

Then, measure out the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.

  • 1 medium onion
  • 1/2 red bell pepper
  • 1 green onion
  • 1/4 cup sake
  • 1 tbsp natural soy sauce such as Bragg Aminos Liquid
  • 2 cups chicken, vegetable or dashi stock
  • 4 cups cooked spelt

Step 4: Cooking the Dish

Cooking the Dish

To start the dish, heat a heavy bottomed saute pan over medium-low heat. Then add the oil, followed by the onions. Next, add a pinch of salt and let the onions gently cook until they soften. Add the red bell pepper and cook for another 2 minutes. Next, add the cooked spelt and saute for another minute.

Add the sake and stir until it is completely absorbed. Add the stock a ladle at a time, allowing each ladle to absorb completely before adding the next.

To finish, add the hijiki and the soy sauce and allow to cook for another 2 minutes while stirring. Season to taste with more soy sauce if necessary. Finally, turn off the heat and add the chopped green onion. Serve hot.

  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Notes

I used leftover spelt for this recipe and if you do have leftover spelt in the fridge, this is the best one to use. Cooking this dish the way risotto is cooked hydrates this sturdy grain. Since this grain is earthier, crunchier, heartier than rice, you can pair this with earthy vegetables such as mushrooms, winter squash and some sturdy greens. But almost any ingredient can be used.

Depending on how old or new the grain you are using, the amount of stock and cooking time will vary. A good example would be the spelt that I've used has been at the back of the fridge since last year, so I used more liquid and spent more cooking time for this dish. However, if the grains you have are new, you can use uncooked spelt directly to the pan instead of using leftover cooked spelt, then adjust the liquid and the cooking time.

Dawn T
Rouxbe Staff

Looks Good and Healthy

Just curious...hijiki is dried seaweed right? Can you tell me anything more about it? Is all dried seaweed called hijiki or is this a certain kind?
What does it add to the dish, saltiness, flavor?

Thanks a bunch!

Divina P

Hijiki

Hijiki or Hiziki is a type of brown sea vegetable or seaweed but it is black in color in dried form. I believe this type of sea vegetable is mostly grown in Oriental countries such as Japan, China and Korea although I think it is also available in other countries. Other types of sea vegetables are the ever popular nori, kombu, arame, wakame (in miso soup), dulse and sea lettuce among the popular ones.

One unique thing about hijiki is that it has a good balance of calcium and magnesium and also sodium and potassium. In Japan, this type of seaweed is known as the beauty mineral because it is good for this skin, hair and nails. It is also rich in iron and other minerals. Although some governments are not requiring people to eat a lot of hijiki and other sea vegetables because of it's arsenic content. But then again, we're not going to eat them in industrial size every day and it all depends on where it came from.

Hijiki has a slight anise, but strong fishy flavor and just a little bit of saltiness. For me, its actually a little bit strong but it's one of the sea vegetables that I need to eat more often. I could really smell the sea from this seaweed that's why I rinse them before using although it's better not to, to preserve the nutrients. There is another type of hijiki in Boshu, Japan which is slightly sweet in flavor. Another unique thing about Boshu hijiki is that they don't need to be soaked before using.

Good with salads, stir-fried dishes, casseroles, soup and even stews.

I hope I was able to provide some information. =)

Divina P

Hijiki

Oh, my mistake. Hijiki is actually referred to as bearer of health and beauty (instead of just a beauty mineral) most especially for the hair.

Elisabeth M

you are the grooviest food prepers ever!

love your recipes and the background music & juicy closeups have us all drowning in our saliva.

Joe G
Rouxbe Staff

Why thank you.

Glad you are enjoying the site. And thanks Divina for this great recipe.

Richard G

Health Risk ?

Based on health risk information received from Health Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is advising consumers to avoid consumption of hijiki seaweed. Tests results have indicated that levels of inorganic arsenic were significantly higher than in other types of seaweed. Hijiki is one of several types of seaweed that are imported to Canada for human consumption. Most hijiki seaweed is sold at the wholesale and restaurant levels.

Consumption of only a small amount of hijiki seaweed could result in an intake of inorganic arsenic that exceeds the tolerable daily intake for this substance. Therefore, consumption of this type of seaweed is to be avoided. Although no known illnesses have been associated with consuming hijiki seaweed to date, inorganic arsenic is suspected of causing cancer in humans and exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic has been linked with gastrointestinal effects, anemia and liver damage. People who follow a macrobiotic diet that often includes large amounts of seaweed may be at greater risk.

Divina P

Hijiki and Arsenic

It is important to know that almost all food contains small amounts of toxic elements. Both good and bad elements are pulled out of the soil and become part of the plant. You cannot really avoid it because you get toxic elements in small amounts from your food, in your water, in the air you breathe (and the person beside you smoking), in your household products and in your amalgam fillings, etc. Interestingly, small amounts of these elements are common (unavoidable, in fact) in our environment and diet and are actually necessary for good health (in small amounts), but large amounts of any of them may cause acute or chronic toxicity (poisoning).

Hijiki does contain naturally occurring arsenic. It’s a fact and it’s natural. But hijiki is also a good source of alginate or alginic acid which is a polysaccharide that helps bind and draw out any heavy metal toxins that are already stored in our bodies which lower the body’s burden in eliminating them.

That's also the reason why sea vegetables are only consumed 2-3 times a week in small amounts. Hijiki is soaked in water to hydrate them and to remove some of their strong flavors. They are drained and rinsed. With that said, it's wise to buy sea vegetables from a reputable source.

Hope this clears things up. Thank you.

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