Dashi is the Japanese word for stock. Japanese dashi is light but packed with umami. It's made by soaking dried edible kelp (kombu), cured bonito flakes, and sometimes dried sardines or dried shiitake mushrooms in water.
These ingredients can be soaked more than once. The stock from the first soaking, the ichiban dashi, has the finest flavor and is mixed with a little miso paste to make miso soup. The second stock made by resoaking the ingredients is called niban dashi, and is used for making noodle soups or dishes with more ingredients or stronger flavors.
Instant dashi powder can be bought in Japanese grocers, but it's easy enough to make at home.
Recipe: Basic Dashi (Cookthink)
Recipe: Miso Soup With Tofu And Soybeans (Cookthink)
Dashi stock is the base of many soups from Japan, including as miso, ramen and soba. It can also be used as a poaching liquid for fish and meats.
The basis for dashi stock is kombu seaweed. Caked with tiny streaks of sea salt, the kombu can be cracked or cut into sheets to make the stock. It imparts the necessary umami, or savory component.
In a stock pot, heat 5 cups of water to almost boiling and add in 1 large sheet of kombu. Remove from heat and let the seaweed steep and plump up. After 5 minutes, remove the kombu.
The next ingredient is bonito flakes -- bits of shaved, smoked and dried skipjack tuna. They add body to the stock.
Reheat the kombu-flavored water to just under boiling, add 2 cups of bonito flakes, take it off the heat and let it steep for 5 minutes.
Strain out the bonito flakes and it's done!
