Intro:
Method:
2. When the temperature of the water reaches 70°c, it is at this point that we want to remove the kombu. If left for too long or boiled at this stage the dashi will loose its umami and will create a bitter stock. When removed turn the heat up to high.
3. When the stock just begins to come up to the boil we now want to add the katsubushi or bonito flakes. Add 15g of bonito flakes and continue to boil the dashi for a further 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, remove the dashi from the heat and set to one side and allow to steep for 15-20 minutes.
4. After at least 15 minutes of the stock steeping all of the umami should have by now been extracted and leaked into the dashi. To finish, pass the stock through a fine sieve lined with either kitchen paper or a muslin cloth into a fresh container. Ensure to use a spatula to push and extract the flavour from the shiitakes and bonito flakes when passing. When ready allow to cool and we now have our ichiban dashi stock.
Additional notes
To make a vegan version of this dashi stock, use only the shiitake or shiitake and kombu instead to make either a shiitake dashi or shojin dashi. I’m sure after using this dashi stock within Japanese dishes you will immediately see how effective this stock is.
