Dashi (だし)

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Dashi (だし)

Dashi (だし) is a Japanese stock or broth, and it is a fundamental ingredient in many Japanese dishes.  Dashi is made from kombu (昆布, a type of dried kelp), bonito flakes (dried and smoked skipjack tuna that is shaved into thin flakes), anchovies/sardine (iriko, written as いりこ,  or niboshi, written as 煮 干し), or a combination of all or two of them (for example, my favorite udon stock uses all of them, plus dried shiitakes). All of the dried foods used to make stocks are rich in naturally occurring glutamates and provide intense flavor to the stock. Dashi creates a savory umami (うま味) flavor from all these ingredients so you don’t need to season the food much if you have good dashi. Dashi is used in many different Japanese dishes, such as miso soup (味噌汁), noodle soups such as udon (うどん), donburi (rice bowl, written as 丼ぶり, often shortened to just “don”, 丼), chawanmushi (savory egg custard,  茶碗蒸), simmered dishes like nikujaga (beef and potato stew, 肉じゃが) and many more dishes.

There are several types of dashi.  How do to decide which kind of dashi to use for a particular dish?  Well, there is no rule.  Each household may have preference, but I’ve included some examples of typical dishes that go well with each type of dashi.

1) Dashi (Awase Dashi- 合わせだし)

  • This is the most common seafood based stock made from a combination of kombu and bonito flakes.
  • A basic all-purpose stock that goes well with most of cooking.
  • When recipes call for “dashi”, use this dashi.  Awase in Japanese means “combination.”

This dashi is good for: miso soup (味噌汁), oyakodon (親子丼), oden (おでん), nikujaga (肉じゃが), chikuzenni (筑前煮), tamagoyaki (卵焼き), etc.

Ingredients:

  • 0.7 oz (20 g) kombu (昆布)
  • 3 cups (30 g) loosely packed katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes, written 鰹節 or かつおぶし)
  • 4 cups (1000 ml) water (or 8 cups – see Note)
You will also need:
  • A sieve
  • Paper towels

Method:
  1. Gently clean the kombu with a damp cloth without removing the white powdery “umami” substances. Do not wash the kombu!
  2. Make a couple of slits on the kombu.
  3. Put the kombu and water in a saucepan. If you have time, soak for 3 hours or up to half day. kombu’s flavor comes out naturally from soaking in water. If you don’t have time, you can skip this process.
  4. Slowly bring to a boil over medium low heat, skimming the surface occasionally.
  5. Just before boiling (you will see bubbles around the edges of the pan), remove the kombu and keep it for “Niban Dashi” (see note below). If you leave the kombu inside, the dashi will become slimy and bitter.
  6. Turn off the heat to let the dashi cool down a bit.
  7. Add the katsuobushi and bring it to a boil again, skimming occasionally.
  8. Once the dashi is boiling, reduce the heat, simmer for just 30 seconds, and turn off the heat.
  9. Let the katsuobushi sink to the bottom, about 10 minutes.
  10. Strain the dashi through a sieve lined with a paper towel set over a bowl.
  11. Gently twist and squeeze the paper towel to release the extra dashi into the bowl. Keep katsuobushi for “Niban Dashi” (see note below).
  12. If you are not using the dashi right away, save it in a bottle and keep in the refrigerator for 3-7 days or in the freezer for 3 weeks.
Notes:

If you don’t need strong dashi flavor, you can replace 4 cups of water with 8 cups.

You can save the drained katsuobushi and kombu to make homemade Furikake (rice seasoning).

“Niban Dashi”: It means “second dashi” and it is light dashi using leftover kombu and bonito flakes from  the “Ichiban Dashi” (first dashi) you just made.

1. In a pot, put 4 cups of water and leftover kombu and bonito flakes used in Ichiban Dashi and bring it to a boil over high heat.

2. Lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes while skimming.

3. Add additional .18 oz (5 grams) of bonito flakes and turn off the heat.

4. Let the bonito flakes sink to the bottom and strain the dashi through the sieve.

2) Iriko Dashi (いりこだし / 煮干だし)

  • Seafood based stock made from dried baby anchovies/sardines.
  • Strong fishy aroma, but actually less fishy in flavor.
  • More affordable in comparison to awase dashi (dried iriko are much cheaper than katsuobushi and kombu)
  • Most commonly used for making miso soup.  Also used to make a nice savory stock to pair with strong distinct flavors, or seasonings like soy sauce.

This dashi is good for: miso soup (味噌汁), noodle soups (udon, うどん), donburi ( 丼), takikomi gohan (炊き込みご飯), simmered dishes (such as simmered kabocha), etc.

Ingredients:
  • About 1 cup (1.4 oz., 40 g) iriko (煮干, dried baby anchovies/sardines)
  • 4 cups (1000 ml) water
Method:
  1. This is an extra step, but I recommend removing the heads and bellies of the iriko to prevent your iriko dashi from developing a bitter taste.
  2. Soak the iriko in the 4 cups of water for 20-30 minutes, preferably overnight if possible.
  3. Transfer the water and iriko into a small saucepan and slowly bring the water to a boil.
  4. While boiling, skim and reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.
  5. After 10 minutes, remove from the heat and drain into a sieve in a bowl lined with paper towel. Gently squeeze the paper towel to drain all liquid and now the dashi is ready for use. Any extra dashi needs to be refrigerated and used within 3 days or freeze for later use.
Notes:

Dried baby anchovies/sardines can be found in Japanese/Korean/Asian grocery stores, or purchased online.

For my vegetarian friends:

3) Kombu Dashi (昆布だし)

  • A vegetarian stock made from kombu (kelp).
  • Gentle flavor.  Use kombu dashi when the flavor of other ingredients are subtle.  For example, when the main ingredient is fish, use kombu dashi because bonito flakes from awase dashi may overpower the milder flavor of the fish.
  • The easiest dashi to make.

This dashi is good for: yudofu (湯豆腐), clam miso soup (あさりの味噌汁), shabu shabu (しゃぶしゃぶ), etc.

Ingredients:
  • 0.7 oz (20 grams) kombu (昆布)
  • 4 cups (1000 ml) water
You will also need:
  • A sieve
  • Paper towel
Method:
  1. Gently clean the dashi kombu with a damp cloth but leave the white powdery substances which contribute to the umami flavor in dashi. Do not wash the kombu!
  2. Make a couple of slits on the kombu.
To Make Kombu Dashi with Water (mizudashi):
  1. Put water and kombu in a large bottle and let it seep for overnight (10 hours) in the refrigerator. Discard the kombu and it’s ready to use. You can keep in the refrigerator for 3-7 days or in the freezer for 3 weeks.
To Make Kombu Dashi with Boiling Water (nidashi):
  1. In a medium pot, put the kombu and water. If you have time, soak for 3 hours or up to half day ahead of time. Kombu’s flavor comes out naturally from soaking in water.
  2. Heat up the pot slowly on medium low heat. It will take 20-25 minutes to a boil. Meanwhile, clean the dashi by skimming the surface.
  3. Just before the dashi starts boiling, remove kombu. If you leave the kombu inside, the dashi will become slimy and bitter.
  4. Line the sieve with paper towel (cheese cloth/linen cloth) and set over a large bowl. Strain the dashi through the sieve.
  5. If you are not using the dashi right away, save it in a bottle and keep in the refrigerator for 3-7 days or in the freezer for 3 weeks.

4) Shiitake Dashi (干し椎茸の戻し汁)

  • Vegetarian stock made from rehydraing dried shiitake mushrooms.
  • Byproduct of rehydrated shiitakes for further use in other dishes.
  • Rarely used alone- typically combined with other kinds of dashi to enhance the flavor (add umami).

This dashi is good for: takikomi gohan (炊き込みご飯), chawanmushi (茶碗蒸), noodle soups (such nabeyaki udon, 鍋焼きうどん), simmered dishes (like chikuzenni, 筑前煮), steamed fish, etc.

Ingredients:
  • Dried shiitake mushrooms
  • Enough water to cover the mushrooms
Method:
  1. Remove any particles of sand or dirt trapped under the gills (with pastry brush, if you have one) but do not use water to clean.
  2. Ideally you want to make shiitake dashi ahead of time. Place the mushrooms in an airtight container with a lid and pour water to cover the mushrooms. Tumble the mushrooms around to wet them. Put it in the refrigerator and let them soak for a few hours or (preferably) overnight.
  3. However, if you are in hurry, place the mushrooms in a bowl and soak them in warm water for 15 minutes or until softened. Put something heavy on top of the mushrooms so that they will be submerged under warm water and become fully re-hydrated.
  4. Give a gentle squeeze to drain, reserving the water.
  5. Remove and discard the stem of mushrooms with a knife (they are usually too tough to eat).
  6. Run the soaking liquid through a fine sieve and keep it for cooking (this is the shiitake dashi).
  7. Both shiitake dashi and mushrooms are ready to use for cooking.

Notes:
In Japanese cooking, fresh shiitake mushrooms are used for grilled dishes and soups while dried ones are used for simmered, steamed, and stir fried dishes.

To get the best flavor from dried shiitake mushrooms:

  1. Buy thick mushrooms with deep white fissures on the cap (more flavor)
  2. Rehydrate with cold water
  3. Rehydrate at least overnight