How To Make Japanese Dashi Stock (Recipe)

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Earlier in the month, I wrote about 8 Useful Japanese Ingredients. Here’s a recipe for dashi stock that I learnt from Kimiko Barber at her Japanese Kitchen cookery workshop held at Books for Cooks in Notting Hill, London. She’s written various cookery books on Japanese food and is currently travelling around Japan by train, researching ekiben (station bento boxes) - here’s the Financial Times article.

This recipe is taken from Kimiko’s recipe booklet that was handed out in class. Apart from a brief period, I’ve always made dashi stock using ready-made dashi powder that comes in small jars or packets. But watching Kimiko make it in class reminded me of how quick it is to prepare fresh - 5 minutes - and I was so inspired that I immediately stocked up on konbu and bonito fish flakes!

She recommends making it fresh and using it the same day, rather than freezing it, otherwise the subtle flavours will be lost.

Her next recipe that I will be publishing next week is for leek and shiitake mushroom miso soup, so you’ll need to make fresh dashi for that, as well as for my easy recipe for Asian vegetable noodle soup.

Ingredients:
1 postcard-sized piece of konbu (dry kelp seaweed)
1 litre water
20g dried bonito fish flakes

• wipe off any dirty bits on the konbu with damp kitchen towel, then cut small slashes in it to help with the release of flavour

• add to saucepan with the water and bring to the boil over low heat

• remove konbu when it begins to float to the surface, just before water reaches boiling point. Do not boil the konbu as it will discolour the dashi and make it bitter

• add bonito flakes and let water return to boil, before removing from heat

• allow flakes to settle to the bottom, then strain stock using sieve lined with kitchen towel or coffee filter

Here’s another idea from Kimiko on how to make another type of dashi that she calls water dashi. It’s not cooked.

Ingredients:
1 postcard-sized piece of konbu
3 dried shiitake mushrooms
7g bonito fish flakes
1 litre boiled, cooled water

• wipe off any dirty bits on the konbu with damp kitchen towel, then cut into thin strips

• add everything to glass jug with lid, or sealable plastic container and add water

• leave in fridge overnight and strain. It will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge

If you like this, you might like some of the other recipes from the same cookery course:

• How To Make Japanese Beef Tataki Salad

• How To Make Japanese Chicken & Shimeji Mushroom Rice

• How To Make Japanese Baked Aubergine Miso

• How To Make Japanese Beans with Sesame & Miso Dressing

• How To Make Japanese Leek and Shiitake Mushroom Miso Soup

• How To Make Japanese Teriyaki Salmon

For more tips and recipes about Japanese food, Kimiko’s book The Japanese Kitchen is definitely worth buying. 100 ingredients are presented, each with two authentic recipes, ranging from classic to modern. I own very few cookbooks (3 to be precise), but I would probably buy this, if only to read about the ingredients. I’ve never recommended a cookbook on World Foodie Guide, so this is a first!

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide