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Ichiban Dashi (number one dashi) is the backbone of Japanese cuisine. Dashi brings the umami richness through lightly simmered kombu and bonito flakes. Ready in 30 minutes, this quick soup stock is a Japanese household staple to take your hot pots and soups to the next level!
Why We Love This
Dashi is the key ingredient to Japanese cuisine! It brings that classic umami flavour without tasting fishy.
It’s so simple to make fresh dashi stock at home and much healthier and commercial dashi stock powder too. Made with natural ingredients – no fake flavour enhancers here! – it’s easy to adapt to your preference too. Soak the kelp for a shorter time to get cooking faster, or soak it longer to bring out a deeper, richer flavour.
You can even use the leftover kelp and bonito flakes to make your own rice seasoning (furikake), so everything is used and there’s no food waste.
Related: Kenchinjiru Soup / Oden Fish Cake Stew
What is Dashi?
Dashi is a popular variety of Japanese soup stocks, with the most commonly used being Ichiban Dashi / Awase Dashi – a three ingredient dashi made from water, katsuobushi and kombu.
You’ll find dashi in Japan’s most famous dishes, including takoyaki, okonomiyaki, shabu shabu and nikujaga. You can even use it as a simple stock for onsen tamago (hot spring eggs).
What is Dashi Powder?
In many places it can be hard to track down the ingredients to make fresh dashi from scratch, which is where dashi powder is becoming very popular to use instead. Dashi powder is great when you’re short on time, travelling or camping, or can’t get the ingredients. It’s now widely found in most big supermarkets or Asian grocers.
We use a ratio of 1 tsp of dashi powder for every cup of water (250ml / 8.45fl oz), but some people prefer a milder flavour and in that case use only 1/2 tsp of dashi per cup.
For those that haven’t used it before, it’s very similar to reaching for the chicken or vegetable stock powder in Western cuisines.
Dashi Variations
- Ichiban Dashi / Awase Dashi – Full strength dashi made from katsuobushi and kombu. This is the recipe we’re sharing today, and one of the most popular used in Japan!
- Niban Dashi – A half strength dashi made from the leftovers of ichiban dashi, sometimes made by adding a little more fresh katsuobushi for extra flavour. Mostly used for miso soup, but you could also use it in zosui rice soup.
- Kombu Dashi – This is the vegan and vegetarian friendly version that uses only kelp / kombu and omits the katsuobushi.
- Shiitake Dashi – Made with shiitake mushrooms, this is also vegan and vegetarian friendly.
- Katusobushi Dashi – Made with katsuobushi only – no kombu!
- Iriko / Niboshi Dashi – Made with sardines or anchovies, this is more commonly found in Korean based dishes and called dasima in Korean.
Where We Learned This
We were lucky enough to learn about dashi from quite a few friends and acquaintances we met along our many trips through Japan. Two that stand out to us are from one of our “Osaka Mums”, Yoshiko, who teaches homestyle Japanese cooking, and the other is from a chef in Okayama who was taught by her grandmother. Both styles taught us so many tips for the perfect dashi broth that we can’t wait to share with you!
What You’ll Need
- Dried Kelp / Kombu – A core ingredient for dashi, dried kelp is usually available at Asian grocers, or you may be able to source it locally depending on where you live.
- Bonito Flakes / Katsuobushi – Bonito Flakes (Katsuobushi in Japanese) are skipjack tuna flakes that have been simmered, smoked and fermented to help give dashi the umami kick.
- Water – Filtered or spring water will give you the cleanest and best tasting dashi. However, it’s fine to use tap water if you need.
How to Make Ichiban Dashi at Home:
- Using scissors, cut 1-2cm / ½ inch slits along the sides of thekombuto open up the flavour.
- Pour thewaterinto a medium saucepan and add thekombu. Allow to soak for 15 minutes for a quick dashi, or overnight for a rich dashi stock.
- Place the saucepan over a low-medium heat, and once you see small bubbles start to form on the bottom of the pan (around 5-10 minutes), remove thekombu.
- Pour thebonito flakesinto the water, but don’t stir, just lightly press with chopsticks or a spoon to make sure they’re all submerged. Simmer gently for a minute before switching off the heat. Stand for a few minutes and allow the flavours to bloom.
- Place a colander and paper towel or cloth over a medium bowl and slowly strain the dashi through, catching the bonito flakes in the colander.Alternatively, allow the bonito flakes to sink to the bottom, and carefully ladle out the liquid dashi stock.
- Use immediately or store in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days or in the freezer for 1-2 months.
Ichiban Dashi vs Niban Dashi
Ichiban Dashi means “first stock”, it is the strongest dashi stock and what is used in most Japanese recipes that call for dashi stock.
Niban Dashi means “second stock”, it is a weaker dashi stock made from the leftover kombu (kelp) and katsuobushi (bonito flakes). This second stock is mainly used for making miso soup.
If you want to make niban dashi after making ichiban dashi, the steps are simple!
Making Niban Dashi
Place the used kombu and katsuobushi back into the medium saucepan and add 4 cups of spring water / filtered water.
Heat over a medium heat for 5-6 minutes, bringing it to a gentle simmer with small bubbles on the bottom of the pan (just under boiling). Add 15g of new katsuobushi and continue to simmer for a minute before switching the heat off.
Allow to cool and steep for a few minutes, then strain and use straight away or store in an airtight container.
Wandercook’s Tips
- Cooked Kombu – Once the kombu / kelp is cooked, you’ll notice it’s quite slimy and slippery when you go to remove it, this is completely normal.
FAQs
What can I use instead of dashi?
If you can’t source kombu or katsuobushi, you can make any of the other variations of dashi – including from shiitake mushrooms or even dried anchovies/sardines!
What do you do with leftover kombu and katsuobushi from making dashi?
There are so many uses for used kombu and katsuobushi, so don’t throw them away! If you’ve made ichiban dashi, you can always make niban dashi (a half strength, second cook through of the ingredients), kombu and bonito tsukudani, chop up and top on okonomiyaki or feed it to your chooks!
Our Favourite Recipes Using Ichiban Dashi / Awase Dashi
Quick Shabu Shabu Recipe
You're just a few tasty ingredients away from this simmering Japanese hot pot. Think thinly sliced pork, udon, tofu, vegetables and delicious homemade dipping sauces. Ready to get cooking? Let's learn how to make this 10 minute Shabu Shabu recipe at home.
Quick Shabu Shabu Recipe
Japanese Oden – Simmered Hot Pot Recipe
Warm up with a steaming bowl of Japanese oden! This easy nabemono (one pot) stew is so filling and tasty, featuring a simple oden broth and lots of delicious ingredient ideas from daikon to fish cakes to enjoy.
Japanese Oden – Simmered Hot Pot Recipe
Quick Japanese Miso Soup
Make this quick and easy miso soup recipe in just 10 minutes! Filled with the rich umami flavours of dashi and miso paste, enjoy this classic Japanese soup as a main or side for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Quick Japanese Miso Soup
Easy Okonomiyaki Recipe – Japanese Savoury Pancakes
Okonomiyaki are Japanese savoury pancakes packed with flavour and SO easy to make! Ready in less than 30 minutes, these 'as you like it' pancakes are sure to be the new family favourite.
Easy Okonomiyaki Recipe – Japanese Savoury Pancakes
One Pot Nikujaga – Japanese Beef and Potato Stew
The comforting weeknight dinner – One Pot Nikujaga! This easy Japanese Beef and Potato Stew takes only 20 minutes to cook, perfect with a side serve of piping hot sushi rice.
One Pot Nikujaga – Japanese Beef and Potato Stew
Simmered Daikon Radish
This soft and tender simmered daikon has the perfect balance of savoury and sweet flavour. Braised in a lightly flavoured dashi stock, it’s perfect as an appetiser or side to your favourite Japanese recipes!
Simmered Daikon Radish
Make more Japanese basics from scratch with these popular recipes:
★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and a star rating below!
Quick Dashi Recipe – Japanese Soup Stock
Ichiban Dashi (number one dashi) is the backbone of Japanese cuisine. Dashi brings the umami richness through lightly simmered kombu and bonito flakes. Ready in 30 minutes, this quick soup stock is a Japanese household staple to take your hot pots and soups to the next level!
5 from 4 votes
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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Soaking Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Course: Basics
Cuisine: Japanese
Servings: 4 cups
Calories: 53kcal
Author: Wandercooks
Cost: $5
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups water filtered or spring water
- 8 g dried kelp / kombu around 1-2 pieces, 4 in / 10cm long
- 15 g bonito flakes / katsuobushi
Instructions
Using scissors, cut 1-2cm / ½ inch slits along the sides of the kombu to open up the flavour.
8 g dried kelp / kombu
Pour the water into a medium saucepan and add the kombu. Allow to soak for 15 minutes for a quick dashi, or overnight for a rich dashi stock.
4 cups water, 8 g dried kelp / kombu
Place the saucepan over a low-medium heat, and once you see small bubbles start to form on the bottom of the pan (around 5-10 minutes), remove the kombu.
Pour the bonito flakes into the water, but don't stir, just lightly press with chopsticks or a spoon to make sure they're all submerged. Simmer gently for a minute before switching off the heat. Stand for a few minutes and allow the flavours to bloom.
15 g bonito flakes / katsuobushi
Place a colander and paper towel or cloth over a medium bowl and slowly strain the dashi through, catching the bonito flakes in the colander. Alternatively, allow the bonito flakes to sink to the bottom, and carefully ladle out the liquid dashi stock.
Use immediately or store in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days or in the freezer for 1-2 months.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Quick Dashi Recipe – Japanese Soup Stock
Serving Size
1 Litre
Amount per Serving
% Daily Value*
Fat
1
g
2
%
Saturated Fat
1
g
6
%
Monounsaturated Fat
1
g
Cholesterol
10
mg
3
%
Sodium
106
mg
5
%
Potassium
137
mg
4
%
Carbohydrates
1
g
%
Fiber
1
g
4
%
Sugar
1
g
1
%
Protein
10
g
20
%
Vitamin A
9
IU
%
Vitamin C
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
42
mg
4
%
Iron
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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About Wandercooks
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