A Japanese Dietitian Introduces Okinawa Food That Help Boost Immunity (Mozuku Seaweed)

Okinawa Mozuku, which is known as a superfood,
is a great food to add to your diet during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is rich in the much talked-about immune-boosting nutrients
and is a recommended ingredient that anyone can prepare easily.

Kae Izena

A registered dietitian from Naha City, Okinawa, who is certified by Okinawa prefecture to pass down the tradition of Ryukyu cuisine. She is also a health and exercise trainer. After working as a registered dietitian at schools, hospitals, and companies, she established Health Planning Kae in 1991, and established Total Wellness Project Okinawa in 2015 as a representative director thereafter. She opened a new studio upon changing the location of the company from Naha City to Yomitan Village. In July 2016, she launched "KAE project - カエプロジェクト-" in full-scale.

沖繩水雲的營養價值

The nutritional benefits of Okinawa mozuku

Fucoidan, a sticky substance, is attracting people's attention

Okinawa Mozuku is one of the highly nutritious seaweeds. The notable nutrient contained in Okinawa Mozuku, which is grown in the beautiful waters of Okinawa, is the slimy substance called "fucoidan". It is said that it has the effect of boosting one's immunity, which makes it a great food to consume for those of us who have been spending anxious days during the pandemic. Immunity is the ability of one's body to defend itself against pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria. Therefore, it is important to boost the power of the immune system.

Fucoidan, a nutritional component that has an effect on boosting immunity, is a water-soluble dietary fiber which is abundant in the slimy component of seaweeds. It has a barrier function to protect itself from bacteria, dryness etc., and has a self-healing ability to repair the damaged areas. Among seaweeds, Okinawa Mozuku contains the highest amount of fucoidan (see Figure 1). Other functions such as lowering blood cholesterol, regulating the functions of intestines, improving gastrointestinal symptoms, and inhibiting cancer cells have also been revealed. Its low calorie content is also an attractive characteristic for people today. Okinawa Prefecture produces the largest amount of Mozuku in Japan. This is due to the subtropical climate and the inland sea of coral reefs providing an optimal environment for long-term cultivation. I hope that Okinawa Mozuku can help many people in improving their health.

Some of the concerns I have for the people nowadays who lead a busy lifestyle are their dietary balance, lack of sleep, and lack of exercise. Lifestyle is also important to improve immunity.

食用方法

How to use Okinawa mozuku

Even better when eaten together with fermented food,
mushrooms, vegetables, meat, and fish.

The way you eat Okinawa mozuku is also very important to boost immunity. It is effective when combined with fermented food, mushrooms, vegetables, meat, and fish. For example, as a simple way to use mozuku, it can be easily used as an ingredient in soups, added to the finish of stir-fries, or combined with vinegar, a fermented food, to make "Mozuku Sunomono (a vinegared based dish with Mozuku)". It is thicker and firmer than mozuku from other regions, and has a delightful crunchy texture.

Okinawa Mozuku is a remarkable food rich in nutrients like fucoidan, which has received plenty of blessings from the nature, such as abundant sunlight and the beautiful ocean of Okinawa.

Since the period of Ryukyu Dynasty, traditional food culture of Okinawa is based on the concept of "Ishokudougen (balanced diet leads to a healthy body),” and they have a belief that eating food is "Nuchigusui (Okinawan dialect translated directly as medicine for life),” which means that by eating, one can nourish their body and make it stronger. Okinawan cuisine today is characterized by a mixture of various culinary cultures, including the royal court cuisine from the dynastic period, Japanese cuisine learned for entertaining officials from Satsuma (present-day Kagoshima), and the cuisine influenced by Americans after the war.

In addition to salt, miso, dried bonito, and kombu, pork broth is often utilized in Okinawa's traditional seasoning methods. Ingredients such as pork, tofu, seaweed, and green and yellow vegetables are combined when cooking to achieve the nutritional balance.

Recipes

01

Okinawa Mozuku Sunomono (Servings: 2-3)

The most common way to eat
Mozuku in Japan

It is often eaten as a side dish at home.

Ingredients:

Okinawa Mozuku 100g

Water 2 tablespoon

Vinegar 2 tablespoon

Sugar 1-2 tablespoon

Shikuwasa juice/lemon juice 1 tsp

Steps:

1 Wash Mozuku. Then put it in the sieve to drain the water and set aside.

2 Mix water, vinegar, sugar, and Shikuwasa/lemon juice well and set aside.

3 Add the Mozuku from ① to ② to flavour the Mozuku.

*Add ginger and/or cucumber according to personal preference.

02

Okinawa Mozuku Don (Servings: 4)

Ingredients:

Okinawa Mozuku 100g

Chinese chives 50g

Onion 1/4

Avocado 1/2

Tomato 1/2

Quail eggs 4

Toppings of your choice (e.g. chopped seaweed)

Sauce of your choice

Rice 4 bowl

Step:

1 After washing Mozuku, drain it in a sieve and set aside. Cut the vegetables into small pieces of about 1 cm.

2 Cut Mozuku and chives into 5mm lengths, mix with the sauce and set aside.

3 Put rice in a bowl and place seaweed, vegetables and Mozuku on the top. Place quail eggs on the top.

03

Okinawa Mozuku Soup (Servings: 4)

Ingredients:

Okinawa Mozuku 100g

Onion 1/2

Japanese noodle soup base 1/4 cup

Water 3 cups

Condiments of your choice a little

Steps:

1 After washing the Mozuku, drain it in a sieve, and cut it into an easy-to-eat size. Cut the onion in slices.

2 Add Japanese noodle soup base and water into a pot, and warm it up. After that, add Mozuku and onion to heat it up.

3 Put ② in a bowl and add condiments of your choice.

04

Seasonal Vegetable Stir-fry with Okinawa Mozuku (Servings: 4)

Ingredients:

Okinawa Mozuku 100g

Seasonal vegetables 200g

Canned tuna 1 can

Sesame oil 1 tablespoon

Oyster sauce 1 tablespoon

Steps:
1 Wash Mozuku. Cut Mozuku and vegetables into easy-to-bite size.
2 Add half of the oil in a pan and fry the vegetables and tuna. When they are cooked, add in the Mozuku and mix well. Add the rest of the sesame oil and oyster sauce to finish off.

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食譜