10 dried-vegetable recipes | from miso soup to side dishes, solving vegetable shortage in a hurry

What you will learn from this article

• 10 easy recipes with dried vegetables (5 to 15 minutes)
• Recipes by category: miso soup, soup, salad, stir-fry, and simmered dishes
• Tips for using dried vegetables and points to avoid mistakes
• Ideas for working dried vegetables into a week's menu

なぜ乾燥野菜レシピが「野菜不足」に役立つのか

"I know I should eat vegetables, but the shopping and prep are such a hassle..." It's exactly for people like this that we want to recommend dried vegetables.

According to a survey by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the average Japanese eats about 280g of vegetables a day. Against the recommended 350g, that'sabout 70g short each day. That's the equivalent of a bunch of spinach or one carrot.

With dried vegetables:
– No shopping hassle (long-term storage at room temperature)
– No peeling or cutting prep
– No knife or cutting board needed
– Just add them to miso soup for extra vegetables

This ease is the biggest reason you cankeep it up every day. From here, we'll introduce 10 recipes you can actually use, sorted by category.

Three miso soup recipes (5 minutes)

Miso soup is where dried vegetables are strongest. No rehydrating fuss; just drop them straight into the pot.

Recipe 1: Miso soup loaded with five dried vegetables

Ingredients (serves 2)
– Dried cabbage: a pinch (3g)
– Dried carrot: a pinch (3g)
– Dried spinach: a pinch (2g)
– Dried green onion: a little (1g)
– Dried wakame: a little (1g)
– Dashi stock: 400ml
– Miso: 2 tablespoons

Preparation
1. Put the dashi stock in a pot and heat
2. Once it boils, add all the dried vegetables
3. Simmer over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes (the vegetables rehydrate and plump up)
4. Turn off the heat and dissolve in the miso

Point: 10g of dried vegetables (total) is the equivalent of about 100g of fresh vegetables.One bowl covers more than half of the day's shortfall. Since you drink miso soup every day, just making a habit of adding dried vegetables here goes a long way toward fixing a vegetable shortfall.

Recipe 2: Country-style miso soup with dried daikon and fried tofu

Ingredients (serves 2)
– Dried daikon: a pinch (5g)
– Fried tofu: 1/2 sheet (cut into strips)
– Dried green onion: a little
– Dashi stock: 400ml
– Miso: 2 tablespoons

Preparation
1. Bring the dashi stock to a boil and add the dried daikon and fried tofu
2. Simmer over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes (daikon takes a little longer)
3. Dissolve in the miso and finish by scattering dried green onion on top

Point: Dried daikon turns sweet when rehydrated and pairs perfectly with the richness of fried tofu. A classic Japanese miso soup comes together in 5 minutes.

Recipe 3: Spicy kimchi-style soup miso soup

Ingredients (serves 2)
– Dried cabbage: a pinch (5g)
– Dried carrot: a little (2g)
– Tofu: 1/4 block
– Kimchi: 2 tablespoons
– Dashi stock: 400ml
– Miso: 1.5 tablespoons
– Sesame oil: a little

Preparation
1. Add the cabbage and carrot to the dashi stock and simmer
2. Add the tofu and kimchi and cook for 1 minute
3. Dissolve in the miso and finish by drizzling sesame oil over the top

Point: The lactic acid bacteria in kimchi and the dietary fiber in dried vegetablesalso help support gut health. It's spicy and warms the body, so it's especially good in the cold season.

Two soup recipes (10 minutes)

Recipe 4: Western vegetable soup made with consomme

Ingredients (serves 2)
– Dried cabbage: a pinch (5g)
– Dried carrot: a pinch (3g)
– Dried spinach: a pinch (2g)
– Bacon: 1 slice (thin strips)
– Consomme cube: 1
– Water: 400ml
– Salt and pepper: a little

Preparation
1. Heat olive oil in a pot and saute the bacon
2. Add the water and consomme, then add all the dried vegetables
3. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper

Point: The bacon adds umami, so even with dried vegetables it makes a satisfying soup. Eaten with bread, it becomes a proper breakfast.

Recipe 5: Chinese egg soup with dried vegetables

Ingredients (serves 2)
– Dried spinach: a pinch (3g)
– Dried carrot: a little (2g)
– Dried green onion: a little
– Egg: 1
– Chicken stock powder: 2 teaspoons
– Water: 400ml
– Sesame oil: a little
– Salt: a little

Preparation
1. Dissolve the chicken stock powder in water, add the dried vegetables, and bring to a boil
2. Once the vegetables have rehydrated (about 3 minutes), pour in the beaten egg
3. When it sets softly, turn off the heat and drizzle in sesame oil

Point: Egg protein plus the vitamins and minerals of dried vegetables make for great nutritional balance. It also shines as a side dish on a day when you're tired of cup noodles for lunch.

Two salad and dressed-dish recipes (10 minutes)

Recipe 6: Chinese-style kiriboshi daikon salad

Ingredients (serves 2)
– Kiriboshi daikon (dried): 20g
– Cucumber: 1/2
– Ham: 2 slices
– ★ Vinegar: 1 tablespoon
– ★ Soy sauce: 1 tablespoon
– ★ Sesame oil: 1 tablespoon
– ★ Sugar: 1 teaspoon
– White sesame: a little

Preparation
1. Rehydrate the kiriboshi daikon in water for 10 minutes and wring out the water well
2. Julienne the cucumber and cut the ham into thin strips
3. Mix the ★ seasonings to make the dressing
4. Toss everything together and sprinkle with white sesame

Point: Kiriboshi daikon'scrisp, snappy texture is addictivein this salad. It packs in plenty of dietary fiber and works as a make-ahead dish too. It keeps refrigerated for 2 to 3 days.

Recipe 7: Dried spinach with sesame dressing

Ingredients (serves 2)
– Dried spinach: 10g
– ★ Ground sesame: 2 tablespoons
– ★ Soy sauce: 2 teaspoons
– ★ Sugar: 1 teaspoon
– ★ Dashi stock: 1 teaspoon

Preparation
1. Rehydrate the dried spinach in hot water for 5 minutes
2. Wring out the water well
3. Toss with the ★ seasonings

Point: Unlike fresh spinach,no boiling step is needed. It's a side dish you can put out in 3 minutes when you're "one dish short." Good for topping up iron, too.

Two stir-fry recipes (15 minutes)

Recipe 8: Hoikoro-style stir-fry with dried cabbage and pork

Ingredients (serves 2)
– Dried cabbage: 15g (rehydrated in water)
– Pork belly: 150g
– ★ Miso: 1 tablespoon
– ★ Soy sauce: 1 teaspoon
– ★ Doubanjiang: 1/2 teaspoon
– ★ Sugar: 1 teaspoon
– ★ Sake: 1 tablespoon
– Garlic: 1 clove (minced)
– Sesame oil: 1 tablespoon

Preparation
1. Rehydrate the dried cabbage in water for 10 minutes and wring out the water
2. Heat sesame oil in a frying pan and saute the garlic
3. Stir-fry the pork, and once it changes color, add the cabbage
4. Pour in the combined ★ seasonings and stir-fry over high heat for 1 minute

Point: Because dried cabbage has little moisture, when stir-fried itis less likely to turn soggy. You can easily make a hoikoro with a crisp texture.

Recipe 9: Easy kinpira with dried carrot and tuna

Ingredients (serves 2)
– Dried carrot: 10g (rehydrated in water)
– Canned tuna: 1 can
– ★ Soy sauce: 1 tablespoon
– ★ Mirin: 1 tablespoon
– ★ Sugar: 1 teaspoon
– Sesame oil: 1 tablespoon
– White sesame: a little

Preparation
1. Rehydrate the dried carrot in water for 15 minutes and drain
2. Heat sesame oil in a frying pan and saute the carrot
3. Add the canned tuna (oil included) and stir-fry
4. Add the ★ seasonings and stir-fry until the liquid is gone
5. Finish by sprinkling with white sesame

Point: Carrot'sbeta-carotene is absorbed more than three times better when taken with oil. Stir-frying in sesame oil raises how efficiently the nutrients are absorbed. It's perfect for a bento side too.

One add-in recipe (0 minutes)

Recipe 10: Adding dried vegetables to cup noodles

Ingredient
– Your favorite cup noodles: 1
– Dried vegetable mix: a pinch (3 to 5g)

Preparation
1. Add the dried vegetables to the cup noodles
2. Pour in hot water and put on the lid
3. Ready after the usual wait time

Point: This is the easiest of all, andthe most useful trick at lunchtime in the office. Cup noodles alone lean toward carbs and fat, but just adding dried vegetables brings in dietary fiber and vitamins. It looks more colorful, too, and passes for a slightly "proper meal," which is a nice bonus.

Ideas for working dried vegetables into a week's menu

The key isnot trying to use dried vegetables in every single meal. Just adding them to miso soup or soup once or twice a day improves the week's vegetable intake considerably.

5 tips for dried vegetable recipes that don't go wrong

Tip 1: Dried vegetables swell -- don't add too much

They look like a small amount when dry, but once they take on water theyswell to 5 to 10 times the original size. Start with a small amount and learn the right quantity as you go.

Tip 2: Don't throw away the soaking liquid

Water-soluble vitamins and minerals leach out into it. If you're using them in miso soup or soup, add the soaking liquid to the pot along with the vegetables.

Tip 3: For stir-fries, rehydrate only about 80%

Fully rehydrating before stir-frying tends to make things soggy.Lift them out while a slight firmness remains at the coreand stir-fry for a better texture.

Tip 4: Take them with oil

Beta-carotene (carrot, spinach) is fat-soluble. Taken with oil, its absorption rises substantially. Even just a drop of sesame oil in miso soup is effective.

Tip 5: Keep them stocked so you'd "miss them if they were gone"

Keeping dried vegetables somewhere visible in the kitchen naturally increases how often you use them.Put them somewhere that reminds you, "Ah, let me add these to the miso soup"-- that's the trick.

FAQ

Q1: How much is 10g of dried vegetables, exactly?

About a handful. In measuring spoons, roughly 2 to 3 tablespoons. Rehydrated in water, it becomes a small bowl's worth (about 100g). Try weighing it at first to get a feel for it.

Q2: Which recipes are easy for children to eat?

The egg soup (Recipe 5) and carrot kinpira (Recipe 9) are sweet and popular with children. Dried vegetables have a softer texture than fresh, and we often hear that even kids who dislike vegetables find them easy to eat.

Q3: How much dried vegetables should I eat per day?

Since 10g of dried vegetables equals about 100g of fresh, to make up the daily shortfall of 70g,7 to 10g (one to two pinches) is a good guide. That's an amount you can clear just by adding it to one bowl of miso soup.

Q4: Can dishes made with dried vegetables be frozen?

Miso soup and soups can be frozen. However, the texture may change on thawing. Kiriboshi daikon salad and kinpira keep refrigerated for 2 to 3 days and aren't well suited to freezing.

Q5: What's a recommended combination of dried vegetables?

A "three-color mix" of cabbage plus carrot plus spinach is all-purpose. It works in miso soup, soups, stir-fries, anything, and it's a combination with good color and nutritional balance. Agriture also offers a product that sets these three types together.

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