Let's broaden the scope of Japanese cuisine by preparing Dashi Soy Sauce, which is milder and more flavorful than regular soy sauce. It adds an aromatic twist to your dishes, enhancing their flavors even further.
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What is Dashi Soy Sauce?
Dashi Soy Sauce is a processed soy sauce seasoning made by soaking ingredients for broth in soy sauce. "Dashi" means Japanese broth, and various dashi ingredients are used in this seasoning, including kombu (dried kelp), bonito flakes, mackerel flakes, and shiitake mushrooms. While it can be prepared with just soy sauce and dashi ingredients, common practice involves simmering them with sake and mirin to create a rich, slightly sweet taste.
Compared to regular soy sauce, it has a lower salt content and a milder flavor, making it an ideal choice for those concerned about their salt intake. Due to the rich umami from the dashi, the reduction in salt doesn't compromise overall satisfaction. While not an essential seasoning for Japanese cuisine, it is a great option to expand your Japanese cooking horizons.
Dishes enhanced with dashi soy sauce
Dashi soy sauce is a seasoning used in place of regular soy sauce, allowing you to easily infuse the essence of dashi into your dishes. In Japanese cuisine, it can be used in almost any dish, but personally, I think it is particularly suitable for the following:
- Tamago Kake Gohan (rice mixed with raw egg)
- Kamatama Udon (udon noodles mixed with raw egg)
- Onsen Tamago (hot spring eggs)
- Ohitashi (blanched ingredients soaked in seasoned dashi)
- Gomaae (blanched vegetables tossed with sesame sauce)
- Takikomi Gohan (Japanese cooked rice with various ingredients)
- Karaage (Japanese fried chicken)
- Stir-fried vegetables
Among these, it is more common to use dashi soy sauce for "Tamago Kake Gohan," "Kamatama Udon," and "Onsen Tamago" than regular soy sauce. Its mellow, flavorful taste harmonizes well with the egg flavor. In Japan, some people even prepare this seasoning specifically for these dishes. There are many other dishes that can take advantage of this seasoning, so I encourage you to experiment with various recipes.
Customizing flavors
Dashi soy sauce in this recipe uses mirin for a slightly sweet flavor, but you can also adjust it to your liking. Depending on your preference, you can either omit or reduce the amount of it.
Similarly, by changing the dashi ingredients used, you can create this seasoning with different flavor profiles. Even when altering the ingredients, there is no need to modify the quantities of other ingredients.
Differences from 'mentsuyu' and 'shiro dashi'
For those familiar with Japanese cuisine, 'mentsuyu' (Japanese noodle soup base) or 'shiro dashi' (light-colored soup base) may come to mind when mentioning dashi combined with soy sauce. Both are processed Japanese soy-based seasonings made from ingredients similar to dashi soy sauce.
Mentsuyu is created by blending soy sauce with dashi, mirin, and sugar, resulting in a sweeter flavor profile compared to dashi soy sauce. On the other hand, shiro dashi is a mixture of light soy sauce or white soy sauce with dashi and mirin, allowing for seasoning without affecting the dish's color. The primary differences from dashi soy sauce lie in their color and ingredients.
While dashi soy sauce is commonly used as a substitute for regular soy sauce, mentsuyu and shiro dashi find wide application in udon soup, soba soup, and Japanese simmered dishes. All of these are staple processed seasonings in Japan, but if you are seeking an authentic taste of Japan, just having dashi soy sauce is sufficient. This is because mentsuyu and shiro dashi are merely convenient items used in place of seasonings like soy sauce, mirin, and sugar to save time and effort, ensuring a consistent taste.
📋Step-by-step recipe
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp sake
- 2 Tbsp mirin
Dashi ingredients:
- ¼ cup bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
- 0.05 oz kombu (dried kelp)
Instructions
🕒 Total: 3 hrs 5 mins
Step 1
Put sake and mirin in a pot and simmer over low heat for 1-2 minutes until the alcohol content evaporates (until the distinct aroma dissipates).
Step 2
Pour soy sauce into the pot and heat it until it begins to boil. Once boiling, turn off the heat, add bonito flakes, and let it steep for 2 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a container.
Step 3
Add kombu to the container and let it soak for 3-9 hours. After soaking, remove the kombu.
To Store
You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Tips on how to make
- Soy sauce should be added later. If it is simmered with sake or mirin, the flavor will be lost.
- Avoid soaking the kombu in the seasoning mixture for too long. If you soak the kombu for more than 10 hours, the liquid may become cloudy, and it may start to emit a strong kombu odor.
Recipe card
How to Make Dashi Soy Sauce
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp sake
- 2 Tbsp mirin
Dashi ingredients:
- ¼ cup bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
- 0.05 oz kombu (dried kelp)
Instructions
- Put sake and mirin in a pot and simmer over low heat for 1-2 minutes until the alcohol content evaporates (until the distinct aroma dissipates).
- Pour soy sauce into the pot and heat it until it begins to boil. Once boiling, turn off the heat, add bonito flakes, and let it steep for 2 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a container.
- Add kombu to the container and let it soak for 3-9 hours. After soaking, remove the kombu.
Notes
- You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
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