It’s late November, and much of this country is preparing for that most American of holidays, Thanksgiving. So I think it is only natural that I should post a recipe for one of the cornerstones of Japanese cuisine: dashi. OK, so maybe that doesn’t follow. But 2020 has been a weird year (to put it mildly), so why should I fight the current? It’s not like I’m just picking something that is super easy to make just because I don’t want to tackle something more complicated right now (OK, yes it is).
Dashi is a type broth that forms the base for all sorts of Japanese soups and sauces, like miso soup and the simmer sauce used in donburi. It provides the famous “umami” quality to this dishes that Japanese cooking is so known for. Unlike most other broths, which are created by extracting flavor from various ingredients through a long, slow simmer over low heat, dashi is more of an infusion made relatively quickly using a higher heat level.
Much like the various broths that are more familiar to the western world (chicken, beef, vegetable, etc.), there are many varieties of dashi made from different ingredients, each with their own properties and uses. What we are making today is more properly called awase-dashi, made using dried kelp (konbu) and bonito flakes (katsuobushi). This is the most widely used form of dashi, and is typically what is being referred to when a recipe simply calls for “dashi”. The flavor is delicate on its own, with earthy, vegetal notes from the konbu and a light smokiness from the bonito flakes. Other types of dashi can be made by using only the konbu or bonito flakes on their own, or with other ingredients such as dried baby sardines or dried mushrooms. There is also hondashi, which is an “instant” dashi sold in in dried granule form. Hondashi, much like other “instant” soup, is typically loaded with salt and/or MSG.
If you have any interest in Japanese cooking at all, dashi will be something you quickly learn to appreciate. Its versatility is the reason it is so ubiquitous. It can be seasoned to taste with salt and used on it’s own as a soup broth, or combined with other flavors such as soy sauce, mirin, and sake. It is also commonly used (alone or seasoned) as a simmering or braising liquid for everything from vegetables, to meats, to fish, to tofu, and even dumplings. Similarly, it can be used as a component for reductions and other savory sauces for an equally wide range of dishes. And furthermore, you simply can’t make a proper miso soup without it!
Dashi (Japanese broth base)
Ingredients
- 4 cups cold water
- 4" piece dashi konbu (dried kelp)
- 1 5g. packet soft bonito flakes (roughly ¼ cup by volume)
Instructions
- Gently wipe down the dried konbu with a paper towel or damp cloth. Place in a small pot, and add 4 cups cold water.
- Optional: let the konbu soak for 10 minutes or longer if you want a stronger-flavored dashi.
- Heat pot over medium heat and bring just to the very start of a boil. As soon as the water reaches this point, remove kelp from pot with a pair of tongs or a slotted spoon. Discard, or set aside for an additional use (see notes).
- Add bonito flakes to pot and continue to boil until the flakes sink (about 5-10 minutes).
- Remove from heat. Strain dashi through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Discard bonito flakes.
- Dashi is now ready to be seasoned to taste or used in another recipe. It may also be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Bonito flakes (katsuobushi) are made from dried, fermented, and smoked bonito (aka skipjack tuna) that has been shaved extremely thin. They are often available in easy-to-use pre-measured packets, as well as in bulk containers. If you want to get fancy, you can even buy whole blocks of dried bonito and shave it yourself. Bonito flakes are available at Asian markets that specialize in Japanese food, and from online retailers.
- Konbu (dried kelp) comes in a wide variety of sizes and grades, with an equally wide range in price. Any variety will work for making dashi, but ideally you will want to use “dashi konbu”, which is the most readily available variety and typically inexpensive. It should be readily available at most Asian markets. You can also try looking for it at health food stores and in the Asian section of larger mainstream supermarkets. Konbu is also easily found online.
- After the initial use in making dashi, the cooked kelp can be cut into strips or pieces and used as a topping for rice, ramen, or other similar recipies like donburi. It can also be reused one more time to make a weaker dashi known as “second dashi”, which can be used in recipes where a stronger flavor is not needed (such as in miso soup). Cooked konbu may be stored in the refrigerator for a few days, or frozen for later use.
- If you want to extract more flavor from the konbu, allow it to soak in the cold water before turning on the heat. The longer it soaks, the stronger the finished dashi will be. You can also use a pair of shears to make cuts into the sheet of konbu before soaking to allow even more of the flavor to infuse.
