Aonori (青海苔 or アオノリ?, lit. "blue seaweed" or "green seaweed"), also known as green laver, is a type of edible green seaweed, including species from the genera Monostroma and Enteromorpha. It is commercially cultivated in some bay areas in Japan and Taiwan, such as Ise Bay. It is rich in minerals such as calcium, magnesium, lithium, vitamins, and amino acids such as methionine.
It is used in its dried form for Japanese soups, tempura, and material for manufacturing dried nori and tsukudani and rice. It is also used in a powdered form, often blended with Ulva species of Ulvaceae as its production is limited.
It is used commonly for flavouring of some Japanese foods, usually by sprinkling the powder on the hot food, for its aroma:
- Fried noodles (Yakisoba or Yakiudon)
- Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake)
- Takoyaki (octopus dumpling ball)
- Isobe age
- Isobe mochi
- Shichimi (seven-spice seasoning)
- Japanese potato chips
- Misoshiru
It is also used in Welsh cuisine, where it is used to make Laverbread