KitchenNippon

Basic Dashi
Kombu Dashi – A favorite for use in simmered dishes and soups using fish and vegetables.

【Ingredients】
Water (水 / Mizu) 1 liter
Konbu (昆布 / Konbu) 10ｇ

【How to Make】
1. Pour the water into a pot, add the kombu and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.
2. Begin heating the pot. Just before the water boils, remove the kombu. Avoid boiling the kombu because this will cause the kombu to emit slime and unpleasant odors.

Katsuo Dashi – Made with katsuobushi and counting misoshiru (miso soup) and simmered dishes among its many uses, this is the most fundamental type of dashi.

【Ingredients】
Water (水 / Mizu) 1 liter
Dried bonito (かつおぶし or かつお節 / Katsuobushi) 30ｇ (shaved)

【How to Make】
1. Bring water to a boil in a pot. Add the katsuobushi all at once to the pot and use a pair of cooking chopsticks or something similar to submerge all of it. Once the water begins to boil again, turn off the heat immediately.
2. Let the pot sit for 10 minutes, then use a strainer lined with a paper towel to filter the dashi. Leaving the katsuobushi in the dashi for too long will make the dashi bitter, so timing is important.

Niboshi Dashi – The prominence of fish in the taste of this dashi makes it a good choice for dishes made with miso or other richly flavored ingredients.

【Ingredients】
Water (水 / Mizu)1 liter
Dried sardines (煮干し / Niboshi) 30ｇ

【How to Make】
1. Remove the heads and organs from the dried sardines. This will prevent these parts from making the dashi bitter.
2. Put the dried sardines into a pot and roast until you notice their aroma. Turn off the heat, add the water and let the pot sit for 30 minutes.
3. Begin heating the pot to bring it to a boil. Let the water boil for 5 minutes. During this time, skim off any foam that develops. Use a strainer lined with a paper towel to filter the dashi.

Shiitake Mushroom Dashi – Often used for simmered vegetable dishes and Chinese-style dishes, this dashi has the added benefit of preparing dried shiitake mushrooms for use as an ingredient.

【Ingredients】
Water (水 / Mizu) 1 liter
Dried shiitake mushrooms (干ししいたけ / Hoshi shītake) 30ｇ

【How to Make】
Add the dried shiitake mushrooms to the water and let them soak for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Combination Dashi

Ichiban Dashi – The most basic and splendid of combination dashis, the making of ichiban dashi results in kombu and katsuobushi that can be used again, to make niban dashi.

【Ingredients】
Water (水 / Mizu) 1 liter
Konbu (昆布 / Konbu) 1 piece, 10cm square
Dried bonito (かつおぶし or かつお節 / Katsuobushi)  30ｇ (shaved)

【How to Make】
1. Pour the water into a pot, add the kombu and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.
2. Begin heating the pot. Just before the water boils, remove the kombu. Add the katsuobushi all at once to the pot and use a pair of cooking chopsticks or something similar to submerge all of it.
3. Once the water begins to boil again, let it go for 1 minute and skim off any foam that develops. Turn off the heat and let the pot sit for 10 minutes.
4. Use a strainer lined with a paper towel to filter the dashi.

Mizu Dashi (Kombu and Niboshi Dashi) – A good choice for making misoshiru (miso soup).

【Ingredients】
Water (水 / Mizu) 1 liter
Konbu (昆布 / Konbu) 1 piece, 10cm square
Dried sardines (煮干し / Niboshi)  30g

【How to Make】
1. Remove the heads and organs from the dried sardines.
2. Pour the water into a bowl, add the dried sardines and kombu, and let the bowl sit in a refrigerator overnight.
3. Use a strainer lined with a paper towel to filter the dashi.

Recipe Developed by: Machiko Tateno