Dashi Japanese Stock Recipes

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.

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 .

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.