Who doesn’t love a bit of crispy seaweed with their Chinese takeaway? Not you, you say? Okay, you’re weird. But the rest of you … I have a treat for you. Lately, I’ve been missing a good British Chinese takeaway (I know this sounds weird but if you’re a fellow Brit, you’ll know what I mean). I’m currently living abroad and we’re in the midst of a pandemic so there’s chance of me getting my hands on this delightful takeaway any time soon. So I decided to make it myself. It’s a Fakeaway!
Back to the seaweed … I don’t want to burst anyone’s bubble but crispy seaweed isn’t actually seaweed. I know, I know … shock horror! But the dark greens you use to make it do look a lot like seaweed soooo … who’s really that mad?
Most recipes that I’ve seen use savoy cabbage. My supermarket didn’t have savoy cabbage so I used kale instead. Now I have to admit that I never got on the kale train. It’s the one superfood that I have never really vibed with. But, I am happy to report that I like how it tastes in this recipe.
For the spice mix, you can just buy Chinese Five Spice in the supermarket, but I didn’t have any so I used whatever we had in the cupboard that I thought would go well. If you go down the pre-made spice route, just add a teaspoon full to the salt and sugar mix.
And one final thing, this recipe is oven-baked so it automatically makes your Chinese fakeaway healthy, right? Now I’ve told you all that, let’s make some seaweed!
Ingredients & Method
A couple of handfuls of kale
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon demerara sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1) Preheat oven to 200 C / Gas 6. Grind all of the spices together in a spice blender or the grinding attachment to your blender. Alternatively, just grab some Chinese Five Spice from the cupboard. Combine your spices with the salt and sugar in a bowl.
2) Line a tray with parchment paper and lay your kale out on there in one even layer. Put in the oven for 5-7 minutes until crispy.
3) Toss in the spice mix and eat with the rest of your Chinese Fakeaway food.
Baking Cupboard Journal 