Food & Drink

How To Make Dashi

Dashi Recipe. Dashi is a key ingredient in many authentic Japanese recipes. Follow our expert led guide to find out how to make it the right way. A great place to start if you are preparing a Japanese meal. Enjoy our Dashi recipe. Enlarge

How To Make Dashi

Dashi Recipe. Dashi is a key ingredient in many authentic Japanese recipes. Follow our expert led guide to find out how to make it the right way. A great place to start if you are preparing a Japanese meal. Enjoy our Dashi recipe.

Prep:
3h
Cook:
5m
Total:
3h:5m

Step 1: You will need

  • 1 ltr Water
  • 20 g Dried Kelp
  • 20 g Smoked dried bonito flakes
  • 50 ml Cold water
  • 1 large sauce pan
  • 1 muslin lined sieve
  • 1 bowl

Dashi is a seaweed and fish flavoured stock. In Japan it's a commonly used and essential part of many dishes.

Step 2: Soak the kelp

Place the kelp in a saucepan in the one litre of water and leave it to soak for at least two hours to properly expand, but for no more than five hours as it will become bitter.

Then put the saucepan on a high heat.

Just before the water reaches boiling point, when it just begins to bubble, use chopsticks or other suitable utensils to remove the kelp. Keep the water boiling for one more minute. Turn the heat off and pour in the 50 millilitres of cold water to cool it quickly

Step 3: Bonito flakes

Add the 20 grams of bonito flakes and leave them to soak for about 15 minutes. By this time all of the flakes will have sunk to the bottom.

Step 4: Time to strain

Put the sieve lined with the muslin cloth over the bowl and strain the Dashi through.

Gather the cloth from each corner and carefully lift to create a pouch containing the bonito flakes. Squeeze the cloth gently to aid the liquid through, but don't press too hard or wring it, just let it drip.