"Dashi is as simple and as easy to make as steeped tea," writes Sonoko Saki in her forthcoming book Japanese Home Cooking, but "it is nevertheless the foundation of Japanese cuisine. The success of a Japanese dish often lies in the flavor of the dash." The highest compliment a chef or cook can receive, she explains, is "Dashi ga kiiteru!," which means that the diners can taste the quality of the dashi.
While chefs spend their entire career perfecting their dashi, the layperson's rudimentary version is simple. You'll start by soaking kombu (a large seaweed belonging to the family of brown algae also referred to as kelp). Be sure not to rinse it first: The white specks on the surface aren't packaging residue but deposits of mannitol sugar, which contribute to its sweetness and umami. Once the kombu is soft and flexible (about 10 or 15 minutes), turn the heat to medium and bring it up slowly, during which the kombu will release those valuable, flavorful compounds. You don't want the water to boil because that can result in bitter dashi, so remove the seaweed as soon as you see bubbles rising to the surface.
Next, add the katsuobushi, wispy, light pink flakes made from shaving a block of dried bonito (skipjack tuna), and bring the water to a boil. Turn off the heat and let the flakes sit. The longer they steep, the fishier your broth will taste (so, uhh, set a timer!). Strain out the fish flakes and...that's it! You've made dashi. (Save the kombu and the bonito in the fridge: You can simmer them together, along with another handful of bonito flakes, if you have them, for secondary dashi, known in Japanese as niban dashi).
Use dashi when you're boiling rice (or making congee), as the basis of miso and noodle soups, or to gently cook a piece or fish. With kombu and bonito flakes in the pantry, you're always a few minutes away—and during cold/flu/general ailment/cookies-everywhere season, you can't really ask for anything better.
Get the recipe:
Dashi is the fastest route to a savory, slurp-able broth—and there are no loooong simmers or bags of chicken bones necessary.
