Hijiki is a plant of the genus Sargassum in the family Sargassum.

Hijiki is also known as staghorn, lantern grass, jade seaweed, etc. Hijiki is generally yellow-brown in color, usually 40 centimeters in height, and can reach up to 3 meters in height. Its leaves have various shapes, have a delicate taste, and are rich in juice. Hijiki is divided into four varieties: leaves, stems, air sacs and rhizomes. Their shapes vary depending on the growing environment. The branches and leaves of hijiki in the south are sparse and slender, and the air sacs are long linear, while the branches and leaves of hijiki in the north are dense and the air sacs are The leaves are relatively wide, and hijiki usually reproduces by dividing the top cells.

Hijiki mainly grows on rocks in the low tide zone. Its maturity season varies depending on the growing area. In the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea, hijiki grows from May to October every year. When in the East China Sea, hijiki will mature from April to August every year, while in the South China Sea, hijiki will mature from February to June every year.

How to clean hijiki

Hijiki will contain shell matter and fine sand in the ocean, which will not be completely removed during the drying process. Be sure to soak the hijiki in warm water before eating, so that the hijiki is completely soft and soaked. The sand and impurities in the soaked hijiki will settle to the bottom, thus cleaning them.

Or put the hijiki into a colander and rinse it in running warm water, so that the hijiki will remain in the colander and the impurities will be kneaded and washed away during the rinsing process. You can also put the hijiki in a pot and keep flipping both sides of the hijiki. After several times, there will be sand left in the pot. Pat the hijiki dry with your hands and clean it.