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Sea Palm-Kale Salad for Bizarre Foods


Remember, I'm teaching a Bizarre Foods SEM this term? Today, we traveled by tabletop to the Philippines. Don't worry, I didn't make the kids eat balut. Considering I won't even eat balut...I figured that wouldn't be very fair. But we did talk about balut.


For our make-project today, I decided that eating seaweed was bizarre enough for some of the kids. Besides this dish has special significance to me. My grandmother, my dad's mom, used to make the most amazing seaweed salad. I remember when I went to Oahu with her as a child, we would drive to Ewa Beach and pick seaweed. She would clean it and make a fresh seaweed salad with it. 


Today, I made it with my own kids and ten other students. Reactions were varied. One student said that the seaweed didn't taste like anything, that it just had a funny texture. Another student declared, "I really hate kale." 

One student said he didn't want to try it. I insisted. Just one bite...


Ingredients
  • 2 ounces dried sea palm
  • 1 bunch lacinto kale
  • 1 C organic cherry tomatoes
  • 1 T red miso paste
  • 1 T tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 T mirin
  • 1 T sesame oil
  • 1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • zest from 1 organic lemon
  • black sesame seeds for garnish

Procedure
Rehydrate sea palm by placing the dried seaweed in a large mixing bowl. Submerge it in cool water and let stand for 15 minutes. Drain.

Cut lacinto into thin strips and blanch. Drain and set aside. Slice tomatoes in half lengthwise. Place the sea palm, kale, and tomatoes into a large mixing bowl.

Whisk together the miso, tamari, mirin, sesame oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest into a dressing. Pour the dressing over the salad. Toss to coat. Garnish with black sesame seeds.

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