Dashi is an essential staple of Japanese kitchens and one of the easiest soup stocks to make. Since it's so easy to make, most Japanese cooks make it when they need it, rather than making a batch ahead and freezing it.
Japanese Cooking: Dashi
One can find powdered dashi mix in Asian grocery stores, but it's worth it to make your own from scratch. Trust us, it's ridiculously easy.
To make dashi, you'll need to find two ingredients: kombu, which is dried sea kelp, and shaved bonito, which is shaved fish flakes. You can find these at your local Japanese grocery, or online. Both ingredients come in convenient packages.
Basic Dashi Recipe
2 1/2 quarts water
1 3-inch square of kombu
3/4 cup shaved bonito
Bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, drop in the kombu. Bring the water back to a boil for a few minutes, and then remove the kombu. Add the bonito, and turn off the heat and let the stock cool. Strain the stock through a chinois or fine strainer and use in recipes. If you don't use all the stock, it can keep in the refrigerator for a few days, tightly covered.
And that's it!
Dashi can be used as a base for miso soup, noodle dishes, and other Japanese dishes.
Related:
Japanese Cooking: Okonomiyaki
Cooking By Flavor: Asian Flavor Combinations
(Images: Kathryn Hill)
Comments (4)
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And if you're vegetarian, just skip the bonito. Japanese people usually refer to the bonito-free version as kombu dashi, while calling the bonito version just dashi.
view cmcinnyc's profile
adding the kombu once it's boiling is somewhat incorrect. start with a cold pot of water, add the kombu, and let it soak for anywhere between 10 minutes and 2 hours. then heat the water (and kombu), and just before it boils, that's when you remove the kombu. bring it up to a boil, kill the heat and add the bonito flakes.
sidenote: i've made my own dashi plenty of times, but when i need some quickly, i reach for the instant dashi granules. they're really easy to use, and although they may not taste quite as good as your own handmade stuff, they'll do fine.
view the chuck's profile
If you're shopping for the ingredients at an Asian grocery, the bonito package might be labeled "katsuobushi." On the other hand, the kombu might be labeled "kelp." Be sure to wipe off the kombu with a damp towel before you get started.
view Julie's profile
i read an old weight watchers magazine my mum got at the library and she showed me an article about Japanese dishes and it had a recipe for dashi and said you could put it in ice cube trays and freeze them and get one out when you are cooking!
I have yet to try it but it sounds like a good idea if you are spending a week making lots of Japanese dishes. :)
view witchbaby's profile