1. Lightly brush dark sesame oil in a skillet and heat. 

2. Add the onions and saute 1 to 2 minutes. Add the lotus root and saute 1 to 2 minutes. Place the hijiki on top of the vegetables. Add enough water to cover the vegetables but not the hijiki. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the flame to medium-low. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes depending on the texture or hardness of the hijiki. 

3. Season with a few drops of shoyu for mild salty taste, cover, and continue to cook another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the cover, mix, and simmer until all remaining liquid is gone. 

4. Garnish and serve.

Depending on the texture or hardness of the hijiki, the cooking time may vary. Softer varieties of hijiki may only need to be cooked 30 to 40 minutes until soft, while harder varieties may require as much as 1 hour cooking time. Please adjust the cooking time depending on the variety of hijiki that is available to you. May saute hijiki first, then add vegetables.

Variations:

• hijiki, onions, and carrots

• hijiki, onion, carrots, and tempeh (plain or fried)

• hijiki, onions, carrots, and fried tofu

• hijiki and roasted or soaked yellow soybeans

• hijiki and dried daikon

• hijiki, onions, carrots, and dried tofu