Seaweed

Soak dried wakame in cold water for about 5 minutes, then drain it; it will swell and is ready for soup or salad. Nori sheets can be eaten as they are, while kombu is usually simmered to flavour stock and then removed.

Add rehydrated wakame to miso soup or ramen, or wrap rice and fillings in nori to make sushi rolls. Crumbled nori also works as a savoury topping for rice or noodles.

Keep dried seaweed in an airtight container in a cool, dry cupboard. Keep moisture out so the sheets stay crisp rather than turning soft.

They are not a direct swap: nori comes in thin sheets and is best for wrapping or crumbling over food, while wakame is soaked until soft and used in soups and salads. For miso soup, use wakame rather than nori.

The Food Standards Agency advises people not to eat hijiki because it can contain high levels of inorganic arsenic. Choose another seaweed, such as nori or wakame.

Yes. Seaweed provides 6.2 g of fibre per 100 g; in cooking, you usually use much less than that, especially when using dried seaweed.