There are so many ways you can use the left-over kombu (kelp) after the kombu is used to make stock (check out my previous post to find how how you can make a nice Japanese kombu stock using a cold-water method).
This maple kombu granola is so moreish, healthy, crunchy and climate conscious. It never lasts long with my family whenever I make it!
Kelp (aka ‘kombu’ in Japan)
Kombu is not only packed full of nutrients but also good for the planet. It is a great sequester of carbon dioxide from the ocean and the atmosphere, much more than land plants. This makes it an extremely important plant to help address climate change. There is every reason to support sustainable seaweed farmers around the world. As someone from Japan, I love eating all kinds of seaweed and it is my aim to create lots of yummy, healthy seaweed recipes here on Magic Beans Kitchen.
If you are interested in other seaweed recipes, you can check out:
Crunchy spelt laverbread grissini
How to make kombu dashi – Japanese cold-water method
Vegan ramen broth recipe
In Japan, we use kombu for making stocks for various dishes and use the leftover kombu for other dishes, so there is absolutely no waste with this amazing plant. This maple kombu granola recipe is another way to use the leftover kombu and to use up all your nuts and seeds that are left uneaten to combat food waste. You can certainly use the fresh kombu for this recipe too.
Customise your flavour
In the ingredients below, I include general terms such as seeds, nuts and fruits rather than specifying exactly what it is, so you can experiment with whatever ingredients you have in your kitchen and just use this recipe as a guide for the proportions.
However, to give you somewhere to start, whenever I make this granola, I often use the following:
Seeds – I always use sunflower, pumpkin and chia seeds. Chia seeds are a real hidden gem because they add lovely crunchiness to the granola and I just love the texture.
Nuts – I almost always use walnuts and pine nuts as these are the only two nuts my son is not allergic to. However, any nut mixture would most likely taste wonderful.
Dried fruits – I love using cranberries because they add a little bit of tanginess to the sweet mixture. I also mix saltanas and other dried berries, like blueberries.
Ingredients
- 20g kombu (not dried – If you are using dried kombu, place it into warm water until it returns to its original texture, then weigh 20g)
- 200g rolled porridge oats
- 200g mixture of seeds (and nuts – see note above)
- 50g maple syrup (or 70g maple syrup without water)
- 20g water (or no water if you are using 70g maple syrup)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- dried fruits
Method
Preheat the oven 180C (160C fan / 350F / gas 4)
Mix kombu, maple syrup and water in a food mixer so that the kombu is in very small bits. If you don’t have a food mixer you can chop the kombu as small as possible.
Mix oat, seeds and chopped nuts.
Add salt.
Add maple kombu mixture to the oat and mix thoroughly.
Spread the mixture evenly on a baking tray.
Bake for 30 min then turn off the oven until the oven cools down. This way you are saving energy but will make sure that the mixture is completely dry and crunchy, but not burnt. Make sure you check every now and then.
Transfer the granola into a large bowl and add dried fruits.
Transfer into an airtight container.
Add your favourite plant-based milk and enjoy your first planetary breakfast or snack.
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