Dashi

At the heart of many Japanese recipes, dashi is stock made from dried bonito flakes or dried anchovies or sardines. Many types of dashi exist, but for the most part, the modern Japanese home cook uses dashi-no-moto, instant dashi in powder, granule, or tea-bag form. Dashi-no-moto is available in Asian markets and by mail order, but you can also buy it at many Western markets. There are also instant granules marketed under the name hondashi, which is usually a soup base made from bonito flakes and kombu, a type of kelp.