M.Y.O.D. - Make your own dashi

I mentioned on my "Ingredient Glossary" page that dashi is the life-blood of Japanese cuisine. I kind of never told you how to make it yourself, though.

A friend of mine let me know that she made her own dashi and I was impressed because it never occurred to me that I could… of course I knew that people did, but it never occurred to me, being non-Japanese, that I had any business making dashi. Then a thought came to me (this happens, occasionally). If I’m learning to cook Japanese food, and dashi is the life-blood of Japanese cooking, perhaps I should try to make my own. I also figured it was the right thing to do for you, dear bleaders. After all, I wouldn’t give you an Italian recipe using store-bought tomato sauce, now would I? No. That would be wrong.

Anyway, these thoughts were running through my mind on my last trip to the grocery store when, standing between the salsa and the seaweed*, I spotted a display of dried bonito fish flakes (katsuobushi). Picking up one of the jumbo bags, I asked So:

“Do you know how to turn these into soup?”

“No. It’s not usual.”

 

Bleaders, in husband-speak “not usual” means, “I’ve never done it, and have no plans to start now.” And who could blame him? Japanese households typically use dashi every day—sometimes three times a day. Who has time to make stock from scratch three times a day? ...still, I'd like to be able to do it once in a while.

Perceiving that not everyone knows how to, or has time to help me make dashi, the producers of Big Bag o’ Bonito kindly printed instructions on the back of the package. I shall pretend to know what it says in Japanese and post the recipe for you in a few days. In English.

*Not just alliteration, the salsa really was opposite the seaweed at Fadie's.