An amazing Japanese dashi-style concentrate, with umami up the proverbial wazoo. Use in any recipe that calls for dashi, diluted with four times or more as much water (for broths or soups) or at or near full strength as a dipping sauce for noodles or whatever. When using as a substitute for dashi, keep in mind that this is already highly seasoned, so you might want cut back on any additional soy or salt called for in the recipe.
Recipe cribbed from Jeffrey Alford & Naomi Duguid's Seductions of Rice.
Makes approximately 4.5 cups.
2 6x4" pieces of Kombu, lightly rinsed
12 Dried Shiitakes
1-1/2c small dried whole sardines or anchovies (ask your Korean or Japanese grocer)
3 c soy sauce
1 c mirin
1 c sake
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, cover, and let stand overnight at room temperature.
2. Transfer to a heavy pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
3. Let boil for 1 min, then turn to low and let simmer for 3 min.
4. Strain, setting the solids aside for another use (see below) if desired.
5. Rinse a quart glass jar with very hot water. Cool the concentrate and then refrigerate. It will keep for up to 5 months.
To use: dilute up to 4:1 with water. Bring to a boil, boil briefly, then lower heat and simmer for a few minutes before serving.
Second Pressing:
The leftover solids may be used to make a quick broth for immediate use:
1. Soak kombu for 30m in 2 c water.
2. Add solids, bring to a boil.
3. Remove kombu, boil 10 min, strain.
Use within 24h, at full strength.
4 comments:
OK, so I'll admit, I don't have a list of recipes that require Dashi. In fact, I was wondering what the heck I'd use it for. Then I opened my Japanese recipe book, and found it all over the place. Why haven't I made more of these recipes? Because I don't have the ingredients (like Dashi). But, there are some truly beautiful recipes that use Dashi as a base (soups and noodle dishes from my first run through of the cookbook), and we'll be making some of them and posting them here. Remember, the Dashi recipe will keep for 5 months in the fridge.
Thanks Andy for opening up a new seam of cooking for us....
Scott.
Scott -
My pleasure. Yes, if you consult just about any Japanese cookbook, you'll find dashi everywhere.
Even without one, however, can one enjoy this elixir: cook some noodles, stir-fry some ginger in a little peanut oil, add veggies & a protein (tofu, shrimp, chix, whatever), then either use the dashi full strength as a flavoring, or dilute it 4:1 to make a broth for soup. Finish with a little toasted sesame oil and some gomasio, and you are good to go.
De-lish . . .
Wow, was that easy! First, getting the ingredients is a non-trivil affair. But, see my post on the Super-88, Boston's most caucasion-friendly Asian market.
Once I had assembled everything, it couldn't have been easier. Then one evening when we had no time I made the following Noodle Soup which was great!.
Put a few inches of water in a soup pot. Add a ladle full of Dashi. I mean a small ladle full. It's very concentrated, a little goes a long way.
While the broth is warming...
Slice up some Shitakes, add to broth,
Slice up a Serrano or Jalapeno pepper, add to both.
Slice up some baby Bok-Choy, add white parts to broth.
Slice up some Green Chard.
Cube a block of firm Tofu.
Prepare a pot of boiling water to make some noodles (I used Chiese vermicelli egg-noodles. Cook and drain noodles.
Add sliced greens to hot broth. Let collapse (2-3 minutes)
Add Tofu, find something to do for a minute or two.
Place Noodles in Bowl, serve hot soup over top, garnish with Cilantro and/or Green onions.
It couldn't be much simpler, and it has that great Asian noodle soup/fresh-greens taste that until now I could only get at a restaurant. This does open a new seam of simple and really tasty dishes. You can easily think of many varieties, based on chicken, pork, etc, perhaps adding peas, and sprouts or doing an egg-drop at the last minute.
Thanks Andy!
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