What is dashi?
Dashi is a seafood stock typically made from bonito flakes, kombu and sometimes dried shiitake mushrooms. Sushi places have their own particular way of making dashi and it is a fun ingredient to experiment with.
You can also buy little sachets of powdered dashi which are great to have on hand. They save time and last forever. But if you want to make your own, great!
There are many different types of dashi but here are 2 easy to make versions that can be used in different dishes including miso soup and nikiri sauce.
Dashi with bonito flakes and kombu:
Add your kombu and water to a saucepan on medium low. Slowly bring the mix to a boil but scoop out the kombu before the water boils. If you leave the kombu in, it becomes slimy. Add your bonito flakes to the saucepan and bring it back to a boil and then turn off the heat straight away. Let the mixture sit for 10-20 minutes. Once the bonito flakes all sink to the bottom, strain your mixture using a fine mesh strainer. You can reuse the kombu and bonito in other recipes.
Dashi with kombu and shiitake mushrooms:
Add your kombu and shiitake mushrooms to a saucepan of cold water. Let this sit for at least an hour but if you have time and prepare ahead, let it go for up to 3 hours. A longer time = more flavour.
Next, turn the heat to medium low and slowly bring your mixture to a boil. Before it boils, turn off the heat and scoop out the kombu and shiitake mushrooms. Strain your mixture using a fine mesh strainer to remove any little particles. You can reuse the kombu and shiitake in other recipes.
Voila! You now have dashi.
Dashi
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
Materials
- 1 L Water
- 1 piece Kombu (approximately 15cm x 15cm)
- 10 g Bonito flakes
Instructions
- Add your kombu and water to a saucepan on medium low.
- Slowly bring the mix to a boil but scoop out the kombu before the water boils. If you leave the kombu in, it becomes slimy.
- Add your bonito flakes to the saucepan and bring it back to a boil and then turn off the heat straight away.
- Let the mixture sit for 10-20 minutes.
- Once the bonito flakes all sink to the bottom, strain your mixture using a fine mesh strainer.
Vegan Dashi
Equipment
- 1 Medium saucepan
Materials
- 1 L Water (cold)
- 1 piece Kombu (approximately 15cm x 15cm)
- 2 Dried shiitake mushrooms
Instructions
- Add your kombu, shiitake mushrooms water to a saucepan. Let this sit for at least an hour but if you have time and prepare ahead, let it go for up to 3 hours.
- Turn the heat to medium low and slowly bring your mixture to a boil. Before it boils, turn off the heat and scoop out the kombu and shiitake mushrooms.
- Strain your mixture using a fine mesh strainer to remove any little particles.
