If Japanese home cooking has a secret ingredient, it is dashi. It is in miso soup, in simmered dishes, in noodle broths and in the sauces you might never guess contain it. Once you know what it is, a lot of Japanese food starts to make sense.
What dashi is
Dashi is a stock, but a very different one from the long-simmered chicken or beef stocks of European cooking. It is made in minutes, from dried ingredients steeped in hot water, and it tastes clean, light and deeply savoury.
That savoury depth is umami, and dashi is one of the most concentrated sources of it in any cuisine. It is what makes a simple Japanese broth taste complete.
The main types of dashi
Awase dashi: kombu and bonito
The most common dashi, and the one most people mean. It combines kombu, a dried kelp, with katsuobushi, bonito fish that has been dried, smoked and shaved into thin flakes. The two together create more umami than either alone.
Kombu dashi
Made with kombu alone. It is lighter and more delicate, and it is vegetarian and plant-based. This is the dashi we use in our agedashi tofu.
Shiitake dashi
Made by soaking dried shiitake mushrooms. It has an earthier, deeper flavour and is often combined with kombu for a rich vegetarian stock.
Niboshi dashi
Made with small dried sardines. It is punchier and more fishy, and it is common in home cooking and some ramen.
Where dashi turns up
- Miso soup
- Simmered dishes, like our gyudon, where beef and onion cook in dashi, soy and mirin
- Noodle broths for udon and soba
- Agedashi tofu, where the fried tofu sits in a warm dashi broth
- Dipping sauces and dressings
How to make a simple kombu dashi at home
This is the easiest dashi there is, and it needs no cooking skill at all.
- Wipe a piece of kombu, about 10g, with a damp cloth. Do not wash off the white powder, which carries flavour.
- Put it in a litre of cold water and leave it in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight.
- Remove the kombu. That is your dashi.
For awase dashi, heat the kombu water gently and take the kombu out just before it boils, as boiling kombu turns it bitter and slimy. Add a generous handful of katsuobushi, bring back to a simmer, turn off the heat and let the flakes sink. Strain.
Instant dashi
Most Japanese households keep instant dashi granules or dashi packets for everyday cooking, in the same way British kitchens keep stock cubes. They are perfectly good. Just check the label if you are vegetarian, because most are made with bonito.
Why dashi matters for vegetarians and allergies
Because dashi is so often made with bonito, many Japanese dishes that look vegetarian are not. It is also why a beef dish like gyudon carries a fish allergen, even though there is no fish in the bowl. Our guide to whether Japanese food is vegetarian goes into this in more detail.
FAQ
What does dashi taste like?
Light, clean and savoury, with a gentle taste of the sea. On its own it is subtle. In a dish, it makes everything taste fuller.
Is dashi vegetarian?
Only if it is made without fish. Kombu and shiitake dashi are vegetarian. Awase dashi, the most common kind, is not.
Can I buy dashi in the UK?
Yes. Kombu, katsuobushi and instant dashi are sold in Japanese and Asian grocers across London, and increasingly in larger supermarkets.
What is the difference between dashi and miso?
Dashi is the stock. Miso is a fermented soybean paste. Miso soup is made by dissolving miso into dashi.