I was perusing the local asian supermarket aisles the other day and came across something that caught my eye. Instant jellyfish! Packaged very similar to how you would buy 2 minute noodles, and with seasonings included too! I hadn't seen this before so my curiosity got the better of me and I bought a packet to try.
By itself, jellyfish has quite a neutral taste but paired with the right sauce and seasonings, the jellyfish shines and takes on the flavours that it's combined with. My mother used to make this dish with shredded chicken, and traditionally you'll also find cucumber, sesame oil and soy sauce. Some recipes also call for vinegar. If you don't have time to poach a chicken though you can always grab a roast chicken from the supermarket, remove the skin from it and shred it. This also works very well and saves time in the kitchen. This dish is also meant to be served cold so I recommend putting the jellyfish in the fridge for about an hour before mixing in the seasonings.
The instant version I bought had a good hit of chilli in there but it seemed to be lacking on the second star of the dish, the sesame flavour. So i grabbed a bottle from my pantry and added a generous helping of sesame oil to it. Now we're talking!
My verdict? Well the dish was surprisingly good for an instant version. The only thing I would comment on is that the texture of the jellyfish was a bit more crunchy than what it is meant to be. Other than that the dish was tasty and makes a good quick side dish to a chinese meal.
Challenge your tastebuds and try this one out!
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