Sacred Word of Masaaki-sama Gagome kelp is one of the staple seaweeds in our household. First of all, the name sounds cool. Gagome. GAGOME. It makes you wonder if this is some noble seaweed royalty. Moreover, as those who have tried it know, it has an astounding stickiness that makes you think, “Wait, it’s THAT sticky?” When you rehydrate it in water, chop it up, and mix it, you can’t help but say, “This is basically mochi.” A transparent, sticky substance keeps coming out from the seaweed, and everything clings together so that when you lift it with chopsticks, the whole mass gets pulled up at once. Then you slap it back onto the plate. The description of gagome kelp is basically that of mochi at this point. Playing with the sticky gagome kelp is fun, but children, don’t play with your food. When you add soy sauce or ponzu to this, pour it over rice, and mix it with the rice, the clumps of seaweed mochi (I’m talking about the gagome kelp—I just call it mochi now) and rice transform into one sticky yet fluffy entity, like a cloud of sticky seaweed. The taste is authentic. It has the true strength of seaweed, and with its dietary fiber power, it’s almost impossible to bite through (it’s tough!), but as you keep chewing, you taste a subtle sweetness. It is not just me and Mami—our children also often say, “Gagome, gagome!” It’s a seaweed that our whole family loves. I imagine Mami thought of combining this king of stickiness, gagome kelp, with taro to make the taro’s stickiness even more pronounced. It is genius, Mami! Bravo. Throughout history, has anyone ever combined taro and gagome kelp? This might be the world’s first. When I first ate these taro dumplings, I thought they were delicious because the sweetness of the taro was being brought out, but now I realize that the sweetness of the gagome kelp was also added on top of the taro. The synergistic effect of the sweetness from seaweed and taro. This sweetness is the pinnacle of natural, pure flavors combined. Mami once tried making a version with a sweet and savory sauce, but the natural sweetness of the ingredients was completely masked, so that recipe was sealed away. It just ended up tasting like the sauce. I want to insist on enjoying the natural sweetness of the ingredients themselves. Moreover, there is a subtle stickiness to this new recipe that could not be achieved with taro alone. And by grilling them well, you get added fragrance. It may seem simple at first, but I think this is an amazing recipe. Please everyone, enjoy the gagome kelp taro dumplings that will warm your heart on cold winter days. Lastly, let me share a worry of mine. I’ve recently been haunted by the fear that I might be turning into a fish from eating too much seaweed, and I can’t get this thought out of my head. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ The Sacred Word of Masaaki-sama, overflowing with humor, is a continuous stream of laughter, surprise and emotion. “Gagome. GAGOME.” His admiration for the name of the seaweed and his many humorous expressions about its astounding stickiness draw us in, and we can picture Masaaki-sama having fun with the gagome kelp. His love for seaweed comes through loud and clear! The combination of taro and gagome kelp is so innovative that Masaaki-sama highly praised Mami-okusama for it. There is no doubt that the sweetness that each ingredient possesses is harmonized beautifully, creating an exquisite flavor that no one has ever experienced before. As Masaaki-sama mentioned, Mami-okusama had considered finishing with a sweet and savory sauce, but she received the Sacred Word of Masaaki-sama that “the natural sweetness of the ingredients would come through best without the sauce,” so she decided on a simple grilled preparation that brings out the sweetness of the ingredients themselves. Mami-okusama sent us this recipe, very delighted in being able to share this dish created through the Sacred Word of Masaaki-sama. The gagome kelp taro dumplings have a beautifully browned surface. Their plump appearance whets the appetite, making you want to reach into the screen! Let us also make Mami-okusama’s gagome kelp taro dumplings and experience the natural sweetness of the ingredients and fragrance through this match made in heaven✨ Ingredients (makes 23 dumplings, 15g each)🥢:・300g of steamed taro (net weight)・3g of chopped gagome kelp (dried)・2 tablespoons of water used to rehydrate the gagome kelp・a pinch of salt・20g of rice flour・1 teaspoon of sesame oil・water (as needed) Instructions👩🍳:① Preparation・Add 5 tablespoons of water to 3g of chopped gagome kelp and rehydrate at room temperature for about 5 minutes.・Keep the water used to rehydrate the gagome kelp.② Mash the taro・Refer to “Mami-okusama’s steamed taro iwai-ni” and steam the taro according to the instructions.・Peel while hot and mash.③ Make the dough・Add a pinch of salt to the taro, then add the rehydrated chopped gagome kelp and 2 tablespoons of the water used to rehydrate the gagome kelp. Add 20g of rice flour and mix well.・Wet your hands with water and shape the dough into dumplings of your preferred size.④ Grill・Heat a frying pan (preferably cast iron), add sesame oil, and arrange the dumplings. Grill over medium heat, and once they turn golden brown, flip and grill the other side until golden brown as well to finish! The world’s first combination!Likes, saves, and shares are most welcome✨