Ingredients:
50g arame, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes
1 tablespoon shoyu
3 ears of fresh sweetcorn OR a medium-sized tin
20 pods of green peas, shelled OR a generous handful of frozen peas
a handful of bean sprouts
100g grated carrots

Dressing:
4 tablespoons coarse grain mustard
2 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
100ml cold water

Method:
1. Drain the arame, keeping the soaking water, then cut it into 4cm lengths. Slowly pour the soaking water into a pan, throwing away the little bit at the bottom with the sediment. Add the arame and, if necessary, some fresh water to almost cover it. Bring to the boil, put the lid on, lower the heat, and simmer for 35 minutes. Add the shoyu and cook until the water has evaporated, which will be about 10 minutes. Take off the heat and set aside.

2. If you’re using fresh sweetcorn, steam them until the kernels are tender. Remove the corn from the water, and allow it to cool, then remove the kernels from the cobs. If you’re using fresh peas, steam them for about 10 minutes until they’re cooked, and then steam the bean sprouts for up to a minute to blanch them. Put the veg on a plate to cool after cooking. If you’re using frozen peas and tinned sweetcorn, simply defrost the peas and drain the sweetcorn, then add to the raw beansprouts.

3. In a serving bowl, mix the arame, corn, peas, bean sprouts, and raw carrot. Blend the dressing ingredients together until smooth, either in a blender or using a fork. Add the dressing to the salad, mixing well. Serve with tabouleh salad or cold Japanese noodles.

Recipe adapted from Peter and Montse Bradford’s book Cooking With Sea Vegetables