Cold Cucumber Seaweed Salad

Cold Cucumber Seaweed Salad

　　Seaweed Horn is a type of seaweed that grows between sea cliffs, about three to four inches long. It is called "Seaweed Horn" because of its shape resembling deer antlers, and it has an extremely smooth and delicious taste. This purple-yellow seaweed is rich in gelatin. If soaked in water for a long time or in boiling water, it will turn gelatinous.

　　The common way to eat Seaweed Horn is usually by pickling it as a side dish. Among the eight-treasure pickles, the Seaweed Horn is the most flavorful—crisp, salty, and sweet. As a child, I loved picking out the peanuts and Seaweed Horn when eating eight-treasure pickles. Inland, the most commonly seen form of Seaweed Horn is dried. Dried Seaweed Horn is much less enjoyable in texture compared to fresh Seaweed Horn just harvested from the sea. However, when rehydrated, dried Seaweed Horn can still be used to make tasty cold dishes. For preparing dried Seaweed Horn, the usual method is to buy it and then rub it clean in a basin of water to remove sand and impurities. After that, soak it in water to rehydrate it, and finally season it as desired.

　　Source: People's Government of Xining City