Seaweed Soup

Dinner: Menu

Seaweed was an expensive luxury food in Szechwan. Mrs. Chiang’s mother used it mainly in mild, delicately seasoned soups that would accentuate its unusual qualities — its salty, sea-like flavor and strange, slippery texture.

It is no more expensive here than any comparable imported ingredient, and its faintly pungent flavor can become addictive. Our kids like to munch on it between meals; we prefer it in this subtle, easily prepared soup.