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Dashi ingredients
Appears in
By Heston Blumenthal, Pascal Barbot, Nobu Matsuhisa and Kiyomi Mikuni
Published 2009
Despite its significance in Japanese cuisine, the main types of dashi are limited in number and simple in preparation.
Classic dashi is made using kombu (kelp) and katsuobushi (dried bonito). A range of stocks of different character can be created from just these two ingredients. The most prized is ichiban (primary) dashi, which is made by soaking or gently heating the finest kombu and briefly adding katsuobushi. It is used in dishes such as clear soups, where the aroma and quality of the stock is of utmost importance. Meanwhile, niban (secondary) dashi is made by reusing the ingredients from ichiban dashi to create a less refined but more versatile stock.