Large Packages of Roasted Nori Snacks?

[opinionatedchef]

Love these airy crunchy nutritive snacks, but so far I have only found them in tiny 5 gram packages (packed 4 to a bag, in Reliable and Super 88 Allston). Has anyone found any larger 'bulk' packaged bags of these? Thanx much.

[pamlet]

I find them reliably at the Waltham Costco. My kids love them! Big boxes of 'em!

[davis_sq_pro]

Check out Amazon...

http://www.amazon.com/Yamamotoyama-Te...

Two 4-oz jars -- I think that would probably be about 800 sheets.

[catsmeow]

A few months ago I was at either Costcos or BJS and they were giving out samples. I tried it, but didn't look at the type of packaging it came in. Worth a call....

[gourmaniac]

Definitely H Mart and they have a variety (olive oil flavor e.g.). We get our shipped from our son's girlfriend in Busan, but probably costs more to ship than the price difference. Japanese tourists fly to Busan to bring back shopping bags of the stuff.

[opinionatedchef]

So interesting! Maybe i didn't explain this properly but i'm trying to find them where they aren't packaged in these teeny 5 gram packages (i hate all that wasteful packaging.) that then get grouped into a bag. I'm wondering if there are any sold in a big bag with one large plastic tray, or no tray at all..... Anyone?TIA.

[gourmaniac]

we get them as large sheets maybe 8 to a pack each one 8 by 10 inches or so and no tray. Not sure if these are at H Mart. we cut them to about the size that you are referring to to wrap grilled salmon and sushi rice.

[opinionatedchef]

really?just want to make sure we're talking about the same thing>> this is not regular nori as used for sushi; this is oiled and salted and roasted crspy so it shatters when you eat it, yes?but you buy it packaged just like sushi nori sheets, right?

[gimlis1mum]

Jumping in - yes, I've bought it at HMart in the packs of larger sheets that you can cut with scissors. The outer package is foil, usually with a zip-top closure. It's definately the seasoned (salted) roasted seaweed, which is thinner and crispier than nori.

Apparently it's easy to make roasted seaweed at home but I've never tried it.

[opinionatedchef]

great mum, thx so much for that help! and i have some extra nori here so I'm gonna try brushing it w/ some sesame oil and salt, and then roasting it; thx also for that inspiration!
20 gms for $2.70.......= about $64 lb..... youchers.

[gimlis1mum]

I think you're supposed to toast it over an open flame. Can't find the recipe quickly in my cookbooks so I'll have to look it up later for ya.

[gimlis1mum]

Found it - the recipe is titled "toasted laver," don't know the commercial product is really roasted.

For 5 sheets of laver (~8-inch square, brush the seaweed with a total of 2 tablespoons sesame oil and sprinkle with 1/2 tablespoon salt (oo, that sounds like a lot of salt). Stack the sheet of seasoned seaweed and roll them up, put in a plastic bag and wait 30 minutes for the oil to coat the sheets. Then toast the sheets by waving them 1/2 inch above a stovetop burner set on medium, for 1-2 seconds, then toast on the second side. Stack up the toasted laver and cut into rectangles with a big knife.

I had to google a bit about the laver, because I get confused by all the different types of seaweed. Laver = kim/gim= nori, as I understand it. At first I thought you could use kombu (kelp) to make the toasted stuff but I think that's a different species of seaweed and would be too thick to work well.

FYI if you enjoy the roasted seaweed, there is a different version of it available. It's not compressed into sheets, rather it's almost like seaweed crumbles - not as finely crumbeld as furakake seasoning, though. It comes in a zip-top bag and is seasoned with salt, sugar, oil, and sesame seeds (see photo below). I've seen it at Reliable and HMart, not sure if Super 88 carries it. You could munch on it as is for a snack, but I really like it with a fried egg and kimchi over some leftover rice for breakfast.

[opinionatedchef]

gmum, thx to you, we picked up some tan packaged sesame oil crunchy nori sheets at HMart today. boy there are at least as many kinds as potato chips!! this is exACTly what i was seeking (no plastic trays, just a foil bag with 5 squares in it. I like folding them up and popping them into my mouth and i look forw to experimenting w/ all kinds of uses! Hey, mum, how 'bout a sandwich w/ crunchy nori instead of lettuce?)
or a compound butter.......or a vinaigrette. i really like your eggs idea too.

The only thing i can't figure out is the sodium level. i see 2 different numbers on the individial pkg. wrapper and the large bag that holds the 3 packages. 25 gms or 50 gms. the brand i got today does seem much saltier than the other 2 i tried- of small rectangles.
I will also use the recipe you posted to roast some sheets myself but i'm going to do it in the oven.thx so much, mum.

[gimlis1mum]

So glad you found it, and even gladder that you liked it :-)

The sodium must vary with brands. Costco used to sell the imported Korean stuff, then they switched to their own brand which tastes saltier to me. I think I have 3 different brands in the pantry - Costco, Annie Chung's, and something from Reliable Market - so maybe I will try to convince the boys to do a tasting tomorrow. It's a good snow day activity, right?

[hotoynoodle]

kombu is only used for stocks and soups. it takes a long time and lots of liquid for it to soften.

[davis_sq_pro]

You can also make tsukudani with kombu. (It's a good thing to do with the leftovers from making dashi, so the stock/soup is definitely a good point.)

See, e.g.: http://japanesefood.about.com/od/seaw...

[hotoynoodle]

have purchased tubs of it at h-mart and yes, it's very addictive, but i don't see them every time, so am not sure if it's a consistent inventory item.

[gourmaniac]

Yes, we use them in place of nori for the added flavor and crispness. Nori come in smaller dimensions than these when I've bought it Glad they are available at HMart. Down to our last couple of packs.

[opinionatedchef]

g, do you use them to roll maki?i bet you could do some neat omelets with them: lay a sheet down on the near done eggs, add shredded cheese and salmon or sauteed shitakes (or other), fold over........

[hotoynoodle]

i use nori sheets for "sandwiches" quite often. they're not so compatible with cheese, except for cream cheese or very mild goat cheese. the taste of the sea just clashes, but they are perfect with eggs, salmon, sardines, etc.

i buy big packs at h-mart, like 20-30 sheets for <$4.00

http://www.hmart.com/shopnow/shopnow_...

[Imby]

Sorry, my bad - didn't catch your packaging issue. Costco and Hmart are, as far as I know, collections of small bags. I also hate the silica packets - would rather not have poison in my child's snacks! The two issues may be related - if the snacks are prone to soaking up moisture from the air, that might make larger packages undesirable. Good luck!

[davis_sq_pro]

I buy it in a format like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Shirako-Tokyo-T...

... it's a jar of small bags. The silica is underneath the bags, behind a plastic barrier. No poison getting into anyone's snacks.

The jars used to be full of just nori, but the nori would go stale much more quickly. Still does, even in the little bags. It's incredibly susceptible to moisture absorption.

[Imby]

Saw some at H Mart last weekend.

Costco also.

[cassis]

H Mart?

[Ora Moose]

Trader Joe's has some that are very addictive, I usually buy them by the case.