Flaked green nori seaweed flakes from compressed and dried sheets of laver seaweed. Made from a different variety of nori from that used for sushi, this product has a blue-green tint and a distinctive fragrance. It is sprinkled on okonomiyaki (fried-batter "pancakes" mixed with a wide variety of vegetables, seafood or meats).
A round clam, also known as a red clam, native to Japan and used raw for sushi or lightly cooked. It has a light tan shell, and is essentially a hen clam, surf clam, round clam.
A natural green food colouring used particularly in confection and sweets. It is extracted from spinach leaves.
When a large fish, say tuna, is not fresh enough for grilling or to be used for sashimi, it is simmered in stock with soy sauce, mirin, saké and sometimes vegetables. This is known as aradaki or arani.
"Tree jellyfish". Cloud ear fungus that grows on dead wood, available fresh or dried. If fresh they have a bland flavour but take up the flavour of the foods with which they are cooked. They should not be fried as they explode, but should be stewed for at least an hour. If dried they are black and are broken into small pieces. They swell hugely when soaked. Dried mushrooms may also be ground to a powder, in which form it may be used to flavour soups and stocks.
