Dashi Japanese Stock Recipes

HOME STYLE JAPANESE DASHI STOCK

Steps:

• Gently wipe any dust off konbu if necessary using dry towel or paper towel. Do not wash or remove white powder stuck on the surface of konbu by scraping it off as it is the umami (旨味).
• Add the water in a pot and soak the konbu for about 30 minutes if you have time. If you don't have time, don't worry.
• Place the pot over medium heat. When small bubbles start appearing in the pot, reduce heat to minimum and cook for about 10 minutes.
• Add katsuobushi and turn the heat up to medium. Cook for about 10 minutes.
• Turn the heat off and wait until katsuobushi sinks to the bottom of the pan.
• Line a few layers of muslin or a paper towel over in a sieve and pour all the contents in the pan to into the sieve. Let it drain naturally, lightly squeezing the katsuobushi (Note 1).

DASHI STOCK (KONBUDASHI)

Steps:

• Wipe away any dirt from the kombu with a paper towel, being careful not to rub off the white powdery deposits on the seaweed. Place the kombu and water in a saucepan, and allow it to soak for 30 minutes to become soft.
• Remove the kombu from the water, and cut several lengthwise slits into the leaf. Return the kombu to the water, and bring it to a boil. As soon as the water begins to boil, remove the kombu to prevent the stock from becoming bitter.
• Stir the bonito flakes into the kombu-flavored water, bring back to a boil, and take the pan off the heat. Allow the water to cool. When the bonito flakes have settled to the bottom, strain the dashi through a strainer lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter.

DASHI (JAPANESE SEA STOCK)

Steps:

• Bring cold water and kombu just to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Remove from heat and remove kombu (saving it for pickled Napa cabbage ). Sprinkle katsuo bushi over liquid; let stand 3 minutes and, if necessary, stir to make katsuo bushi sink. Pour through a cheesecloth-lined sieve or a coffee filter into a bowl. Reserve katsuo bushi for rice with soy-glazed bonito flakes and sesame seeds .

DASHI (JAPANESE STOCK)

Steps:

• Put the water into the pot.
• Dampen a cloth or paper towel, wring it out, and use it to gently pat the surface of the piece of kelp- do not wipe it hard, just remove surface dust; some of the white powder clinging to it is clean pleasant flavor from the ocean.
• Put the kelp into the pot.
• Heat the water, and when you can tell it is about to boil, but before it does, remove the kelp.
• Add the bonito flakes and let the water come to a full boil.
• As soon as the water starts to boil, turn off the heat.
• Let the bonito flakes start to settle to the bottom of the saucepan.
• You can strain the soup as soon as the flakes start to settle- 30 seconds to 1 minute, or, for a stronger flavor (which you may or may not want depending on what you are making) you can leave them in a few minutes longer- some of the recipes I have seem to imply that the flakes will all settle within a few minutes, but perhaps that depends on the kind you have; mine never all settle, and I find that a soak longer than a few minutes does not improve the flavor much anyway.
• To strain: line a strainer with a piece of cheesecloth (optional, but neater), and filter the dashi through it.
• You now have ichiban dashi.
• This dashi will keep for a few days in a glass container in the refrigerator.
• You can also make secondary dashi (niban dashi) by re-using the kelp and bonito flakes once; I haven't practiced that yet.