Dashi

Dashi is a class of soup and cooking stock used in Japanese cuisine. Dashi forms the base for miso soup, clear broth, noodle broth, and many kinds of simmering liquid. It is also mixed into flour base of some grilled foods like okonomiyaki and takoyaki.

Ingredients

The most common form of dashi is a simple broth or fish stock made by heating water containing Kombu (edible kelp) and Kezurikatsuo (shavings of katsuobushi – preserved, fermented skipjack tuna) to near boiling, then straining the resultant liquid. The element of umami, one of the five basic tastes, is introduced into dashi from the use of katsuobushi. Katsuobushi is especially high in sodium inosinate, which is identified as one source of umami.

Varieties

There are several varieties of dashi, including:

• Kombu Dashi - This is made with only kombu kelp and is suitable for vegetarians.
• Shiitake Dashi - This is made from dried shiitake mushrooms and is also suitable for vegetarians.
• Iriko Dashi - This is made from small dried sardines and has a stronger flavor than some other dashi.
• Awase Dashi - This is a combination of several ingredients, often including kombu and katsuobushi.

Uses

Dashi is used in many Japanese dishes, including soups, stews, and sauces. It is also used as a cooking liquid for simmering foods. Dashi can be used to add flavor to rice by cooking the rice in dashi instead of water.

See also

• Japanese cuisine
• Miso soup
• Noodle broth

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