Kombu

I have listed kombu as one of the ingredients in several of Myra's recipes. Here is what kombu looks like and it can be found in the Asian section of your local health food store.

According to the back of the package...

Kombu is harvested from the deep, cold waters off the northern coasts of China, Korea and Japan. Growing in dense underwater forests, the individual fronds of this nutritious brown algae can reach a height of 30 feet or more. After harvest, kombu is laid out to dry slowly and naturally in the sun and is then packaged. Kombu is used in a wider variety of Japanese dishes than any other seaweed and is prized for its flavor-enhancing qualities as well as its ability to make beans more tender and easier to digest. It has a sweet, delicious flavor and is most often used to produce a flavorful liquid called "Dashi", a multipurpose stock for soups, stews and sauces. This simple dish is the first step in the preparation of many traditional Japanese and other Asian recipes."