Making Japanese-Style Dashi Fish Stock

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Preparation info
  • Makes:

    3½ cups

    dashi
    • Difficulty

      Easy

    • Ready in

      10 min

Appears in
Instant Pot Asian Pressure Cooker Meals: Fast, Fresh & Affordable

By Patricia Tanumihardja

Published 2020

  • About

Dashi is the cornerstone of many Japanese dishes, from soups like miso and udon noodle soup to braised dishes. It is easy to make, and my method gives you the option to keep it vegan using only kombu (Japanese kelp) or adding dried bonito flakes (katsuoboshi) made from skipjack tuna.

Ingredients

  • 6-inch (15-cm) square piece kombu, cleaned with a damp cloth
  • 4 cups (960

Method

  1. Soak the kombu in cold water in a medium saucepan for 15 minutes. Place on the stove and heat on medium-high. As bubbles start to appear, discard the kombu immediately (or it will become bitter) and remove the pan from the heat. Watch carefully, you don’t want the liquid to boil.
  2. If using bonito flakes, add ¼