Dashi Ingredients

The main dashi ingredients are used either on their own or in combination, in a way that best suits the dish.

Konbu

Dried Kelp

Konbu is harvested and dried after growing for two years, and imparts a subtly intense flavour, which can be further enhanced by ‘laying it down’ to mature for several years.

Katsuobushi

Dried Bonito Flakes

Used with konbu to make the essential dashi, these are made by fermenting bonito fish and storing it for several months to develop the flavour, rather like the maturing of blue cheese.

Niboshi

Dried Sardines

These are tiny sardines that have been briefly boiled and then dried. They produce a strong-tasting, savoury dashi that works well in miso soups and udon noodle broth.

Shiitake

Dried Shiitake Mushrooms

Dried shiitake mushrooms Shiitake are often cultivated on cut logs. They have a satisfying meaty flavour that is preserved by drying them, and offer the best base for making vegetarian dashi.

• What is Dashi? • How to make Dashi