Dashi is easy enough to make as needed, but freezes well for up to a month. Frozen dashi is very convenient and has several times spelled the difference between cooking the Japanese meal I would like to eat and cooking something else because I didn't think ahead to make dashi! I know you don't have to soak the konbu quite so long - some Japanese cooks say 20 minutes are enough - but I initially made dashi soaking the konbu for 30 minutes and then made another attempt after soaking it overnight. Perhaps it was some other beginner's mistake I didn't notice I made that accounted for the lack of flavor and color, but my latter attempt with the long soak was VASTLY superior.- konbu - about 2/3 sheet, broken only enough to fit in pot
- 2.5 Qt of H20
- 1/2 oz katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
Soak Konbu is the water for at least 8 hours. Over medium heat, bring the water/konbu to about 150 degrees (small bubbles appear around the sides of the pot - about 9-10 minutes) Remove the konbu (and save it!!!) and increase heat to high and bring to a boil - about 5-6 minutes) Reduce heat to low and sprinkle in the katsuobushi. Keep stirring at a gentle simmer for about 10 minutes, then strain out katsuobushi (but keep it!!!)
Use now, refrigerate for a week or freeze for a month.
I just doubled the ingredients to make double the dashi and it worked out fine. For the double recipe I just used 2 smallish whole sheets of konbu, 10 individual packets of katsuobushi (and it was STILL only 0.98 oz!) and it came out great.
ReplyDeleteImportant consideration for future dashi-making adventures ... make sure you have a system in place for straining out the katsuobushi! Since I was making a huge batch I used my largest pot and had nowhere to go when I needed to strain it! I had to set up a whole bunch of other pots and strain into them - I lost a lot of dashi this way!
Oh - as to WHY you save the katsuobushi and konbu ... you can make niban-dashi with them (a "second" dashi) - it't not full flavor, but perfect for simmering foods and imparting extra umami to the dish. I like to use the katsuobushi leftovers to make a topping for rice - its sweet and delicious. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/glazed-bonito-flakes-recipe/index.html
ReplyDeleteAttempting to make dashi using the mizudashi method - cold brew! 8 C water, 1 sheet of konbu and a large handful of katsuobushi into my 3.5 qt pot, covered and left in the fridge overnight. Maki says that this will work - I don't believe in much, but I believe in Maki! She says, in her directions for vegan dashi, to bring it to a simmer and then remove the konbu ... so I am going to bring this to a simmer and then remove the konbu and katsuo.
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