Arame is sold chopped into string like strips because it is so tough in its natural form. It is similar to hijiki, also a ‘black’ looking seaweed which is sold chopped. Before being packaged, both arame and hijiki are cut, dried and then boiled, and then dried again.
Arame needs to be soaked before it is added to cooking, where it increases in size (double it’s original usually). It has a softer flavour (hijiki is considered strong) and is more versatile. Therefore, add to brown rice (add dry arame during the soaking and cooking of brown rice and don’t remove) or any desired grain, tofu stir fry, soups, and curries. The water from soaking is good to add to soup stocks or when cooking grains. If a recipe asks for hijiki, you can easily substitute arame instead for a more mild flavour.