Dashi

This broth is the base of miso soup and many other Japanese dishes. You’ll find the ingredients inexpensive and available at Japanese grocers, which are also likely to carry instant dashi—an entirely acceptable replacement for homemade.

Servings 3 cups

Ingredients

1 3 by 2-inch piece dashi kombu (dried kelp)
1 cup loosely packed dried bonito flakes

Instructions

Clean the kombu with a damp paper towel. Place the kombu in a saucepan with 3 cups water. Set aside for 20 minutes.
Heat the water and kombu over low heat so it takes about 30 minutes to get close to boiling. Just before boiling, remove and discard the kombu, add the bonito flakes, bring the water to a boil, then simmer. Use a spoon to skim any foam that rises to the surface. Remove the water from the heat, wait for the bonito to sink to the bottom of the pan, then carefully ladle out the dashi broth, avoiding the bonito flakes as best you can. Strain the dashi through doubled cheesecloth, then cool, cover, and refrigerate until needed.