How to Make Bonito Dashi & Awase Dashi for Various Uses
Bonito Dashi is one of the most essential dashi broths in Japanese cuisine, along with kombu dashi. Its umami components enhance the flavors of soups and nimono dishes (Japanese simmered dishes).In addition, when you combine kombu dashi and bonito dashi to make Awase Dashi, there is a synergistic effect that dramatically enhances the umami components present in each type of dashi.
Ingredients
For the Ichiban-Dashi (first brew dashi)
- 2 cups (480ml) water / kombu dashi
- 1 ⅓ cups (0.51oz./15g) bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
For the Niban-Dashi (second brew dashi)
- 2 cups (480ml) water / kombu dashi
- ¼ cup (0.09oz./2.4g) bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
For the All-Purpose Dashi (suitable for daily use)
- 2 cups (480ml) water / kombu dashi
- ½ cup (0.17oz./5g) bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
For the Udon-Dashi
- 3 cups (720ml) water / kombu dashi
- 1 ⅓ cups (0.51oz./15g) bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
Instructions
When making Ichiban-Dashi (first brew dashi)
- Put water (or kombu dashi) in a pot and bring it to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, turn off the heat and add the bonito flakes. Let it steep for 2 minutes.
- Strain the mixture through a sieve lined with paper towels or cloth (such as cheesecloth).
When making Niban-Dashi (second brew dashi)
- Put water (or kombu dashi) in a pot and bring it to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, add the remnants of the broth from making ichiban-dashi, along with new bonito flakes, and let it simmer for 2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and strain the mixture through a sieve lined with paper towels or cloth (such as cheesecloth).
When making All-Purpose Dashi (suitable for daily use)
- Put water (or kombu dashi) in a pot and bring it to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, add the bonito flakes, and let it simmer for 2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and strain the mixture through a sieve lined with paper towels or cloth (such as cheesecloth).
When making Udon-Dashi
- Put water (or kombu dashi) in a pot and bring it to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, add the bonito flakes, and let it simmer for 6 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and strain the mixture through a sieve lined with paper towels or cloth (such as cheesecloth).
Notes
- You can make bonito dashi with water, and awase dashi using kombu dashi.
- The estimated amount of dashi that can be obtained through the process is about 1 ⅔ cups (408ml), which is approximately 85% of the original amount of water or kombu dashi.
- When making udon-dashi, the total cooking time is 11 minutes.
- You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to a month.
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