Mariko’s Must-Have Concentrated Stock

Though most households in Japan seem to use quick dashi broths or instant dashi powder, our friend Mariko Doi uses this traditional recipe that she learned from her grandmother in Kobe. It has become a kitchen mainstay for us. It is dense and full of flavor, not at all fishy despite the dried fish that go into it.

Unlike quick dashi or regular meat- or chicken-based stocks, it keeps for three months in the refrigerator. We’ve now discovered