Seaweed or kelp is the key to making dashi. Tradition has it that dried bonito flakes (a tuna like fish) are added for extra umami, however they are not essential. As bonito flakes are harder to get hold of than the seaweed here in the UK I am omitting them from this recipe.

Kombu is the name of the kelp which we will be using for our recipe. It’s available in Asian specialist stores, larger supermarkets in the Asian section or at some health food shops.

The packet I bought (see picture) recommended I use one piece of kombu for one litre of water. It’s not enough. I went for two pieces as we want our dashi to be flavour packed with all that delicious seaweed goodness.

Another tip is unless you are buying your kombu from a open market stall, don’t bother wiping it like a lot of other recipes suggest. If like me your kombu comes in a sealed, sterile pack then there is simply no reason to wipe it. In fact wiping it can reduce its umami levels.

Ingredients

• 2 x Pieces of Kombu about 5 inches or 13 cm square
• 1 x Litre of mineral water

I am using mineral water in this recipe for purity but filtered or even tap water can be used.

Place your kombu in a pan and pour over the cold water. Leave the kombu soaking for 30 minutes.

Now turn the heat on low. Remember making the dashi is about taking care so we want to bring the pan very slowly up to a light simmer, it should take  around 10-15 minutes to get the pan to this point.

Once it has begun to simmer keep it at this temperature for a further 30 minutes.

Remove and transfer the kombu to a plate and you will be left with a basic dashi. In Japan this is known as ichiban or first dashi as this takes all the goodness and umami from the kombu. You can use the kombu again for second dashi, but I don’t ever find the need.

The kombu can be used in soups which I will show you how to make in the next instalment.

Oh I almost forgot, what’s my sneaky tip for when you really can’t find kombu? Simple, for one litre of water use around 5 sheets of sushi nori (which you can find pretty much everywhere) and follow the recipe above.

Yes I know purists will be jumping up and down but it just works, leaving you with a very convincing base for Japanese broths and soups.

Do note however that the sushi nori will disintegrate and will need straining out. Fair enough it may be a little bit messier, but still gives a really good result.

So what are you waiting for?

Remember to share in the comments below about how you got on with this recipe.

Michael Robinson

Author information

The Food Curator

The Food Curator (AKA Michael Robinson) is an aficionado of all things food and bon viveur based in London. A passion for cooking and dining has driven him to put fingers to keyboard to bring you his thoughts on the world of food. When not writing, eating or cooking he has a love of American muscle cars. Pop on over to my Facebook page and let's start a Facebook food revolution together: http://tinyurl.com/thefoodcurator

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