Contents
Red algae of the genus Pyropia (formerly Porphyra), shredded, poured into thin sheets and dried — the same paper-making method used for washi. It is essentially pure umami in a dry sheet, and a strip torn over a bowl seasons it more than its weight suggests.
Modern nori farming exists because of Kathleen Drew-Baker, a British phycologist who in 1949 worked out the Porphyra life cycle and its hidden shell-boring phase. Japanese growers, whose harvests until then depended on luck, credit her with saving the industry; there is a monument to her in Uto, Kumamoto.
Grades and forms
- Yaki nori — plain toasted sheets. The default for rolls and for tearing over bowls.
- Ajitsuke nori — pre-seasoned with soy and mirin, sold in small snack packets. Sweeter; fine over rice, wrong for sushi.
- Kizami nori — pre-shredded.
- Aonori — a different genus entirely, powdered green, for okonomiyaki and yakisoba.
Grade tracks colour and gloss: near-black with a green sheen is high grade; brownish, dull or full of holes is low.
Using it in cold food
- Cut it with scissors, into fine strips, straight over the bowl.
- Add it last. Nori absorbs moisture instantly and goes limp and slippery within minutes of touching a dressing. This is the whole handling rule.
- Refresh a limp sheet by passing it briefly over a gas flame or a dry pan — it crisps and darkens in seconds.
Furikake — nori, sesame, salt, dried fish or shiso — is the ready-made version of this garnish and worth keeping a jar of.
Keeping
Opened nori goes soft fast. Store sealed with a desiccant sachet, and refrigerate or freeze if you use it slowly.
Elsewhere on the site
Used in: cold rice bowl · poke bowl · cold soba bowl
Related: sushi rice · sesame seeds · soy sauce · Algae as Food · sashimi grade fish