Kombu Stock (from Laurel's Kitchen)
Wash and soak a piece of kombu in cold water for several hours or overnight,
or put a four-inch square in a quart of cold water and heat slowly, removing
the kombu as soon as the water comes to a boil. You can include a small
piece of kombu with other vegetables when you make stock in the normal way,
but don't let it stay in after the stock boils.
My comment: I was taught to wash and rinse the kombu and then lay a piece
in beans as they soak overnight. There are other ways of using Kombu as
below.
Squash, Azuki Beans and Kombu (Cooking The Whole Foods Way by Christina
Pirello)
1 (1 inch) piece kombu
2 cups water (spring or filtered water suggested)
1/2 cup azuki beans, sorted, rinsed and soaked 4 to 5 hours
1 1/2 cups cubed winter squash
Soy sauce
Place kombu in the bottom of a heavy pot. Top with beans and spring water .
Bring to a boil over high heat and cook, uncovered about 10 minutes. Reduce
heat to low, cover and cook until beans are about almost done, 50 to 60
minutes.
Add squash and cook covered until squash and beans are tender, about 25
minutes. Season lightly with soy sauce and simmer until all liquid has been
absorbed by the beans and then serve. Makes 4 servings.
Variations: Add or substitute other vegetables like onions, carrots, or
parsnips--any sweet root vegetable will do. And when the weather is
particularly chilly, add a bit of fresh, grated ginger juice for added zing
and warmth. The sweet taste can be accented with 1 to 2 tsps barley malt
when seasoning the dish.
Barb in FL