• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Devour.Asia

Devour.Asia

Better Asian recipes for home cooks

  • Recipes
    • Cuisine
      • Chinese
      • Japanese
      • Korean
      • Thai
      • Vietnamese
      • Taiwanese
      • Filipino
      • Indonesian
      • Malaysian
      • South Asian
      • Fusion
      • Street Food
    • Ingredient
      • Poultry
      • Seafood
      • Meat
      • Rice & Grains
      • Noodles
      • Vegetables
      • Tofu
      • Mushrooms
      • Bread
      • Eggs
      • Fruits
    • Course
      • Breakfast
      • Snacks
      • Salads
      • Soups
      • Main Courses
      • Side Dishes
      • Sweets
      • Drinks
  • Kitchen
  • Stories
  • Cuisine
    • Chinese
    • Japanese
    • Korean
    • Thai
    • Taiwanese
    • Filipino
    • Indonesian
    • Malaysian
    • South Asian
    • Fusion
  • Main Ingredient
    • Poultry
    • Seafood
    • Meat
    • Rice & Grains
    • Noodles
      • Noodle Soups
      • Noodles Stir Fry
      • Instant Noodles (Ramen)
    • Vegetables
    • Mushrooms
    • Tofu
    • Bread
    • Eggs
    • Fruits
  • Course
    • Breakfast
    • Snacks
    • Salads
    • Soups
    • Main Courses
    • Side Dishes
    • Sweets
    • Drinks
  • Street Food
  • Kitchen Tales
  • Food Tales
  • About
  • Privacy
You are here: Home / All Recipes / How We Make Dashi to Cook Dozens of Japanese Dishes at Home

How We Make Dashi to Cook Dozens of Japanese Dishes at Home

Dashi, a broth made by boiling kombu kelp and bonito flakes, is the backbone of many Japanese dishes. It is used to make soup including the iconic miso soup.

How We Make Dashi to Cook Dozens of Japanese Dishes at Home

But dashi isn’t just for soup. It is the base for the umami-flavored tempura dipping sauce, it is added to the Japanese savory custard called chawanmusi that is so addictive, it is used as a braising liquid for vegetables…

In short, if you know how to make dashi, you can easily cook so many Japanese dishes with truly authentic flavors. Is it hard to make dashi? Nope. It’s a very simple procedure. And you only need two ingredients.

Here’s how to make dashi at home.

Kombu kelp and bonito flakes for making dashi at home
Kombu kelp and bonito flakes

First, you need to have kombu kelp and bonito flakes.

Kombu is an edible seaweed sold dried. Bonito flakes are made from salted and dried fish, the most common being skipjack tuna.

Both are available in Asian groceries.

Boiling kombu kelp and bonito flakes to make dashi

Just put the kelp in a pot of water and bring to the boil. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and allow to steep until cool.

Strain the dashi, pressing down the kombu and bonito flakes into the strainer, and it’s ready to use.

Here’s a printable version.

Dashi Recipe

Recipe by Connie Veneracion
Prep Time 1 min
Cook Time 5 mins
Steeping time 30 mins
Total Time 6 mins
Course Soup
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 3 cups
Straining the dashi
Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 6 to 8 2-inch squares kombu kelp
  • 1 packet bonito flakes (about 1/4 cup)

Instructions
 

  • Measure three cups water and pour into a pot.
  • Add the kombu and bonito flakes to the water and bring to the boil.
  • Turn off the heat and cover the pot.
  • Leave the dashi to steep until cool.
  • Strain the dashi and use.

Easy, right? But if don’t want to bother with making dashi, there’s an alternative.

Dashi granules as a substitute for homemade dashi

Dashi is sold in granule or powdered form. Just cut the packet open, dump the contents into a pot of hot water and stir.

Which tastes better: homemade dashi or instant dashi? I like homemade. That’s not saying that instant dashi tastes bad. Oh, no. We keep it in stock at home too for those times when we’re all in a hurry to make a pot of miso soup.

Know, however, that instant dashi contains additional ingredients like sugar, yeast extract and fermented wheat protein seasoning. The additional ingredients vary from brand to brand. If those additions make a difference to you, in terms of health or flavor, or both, then making dashi by boiling kelp and bonito flakes is the better option.

More Japanese cooking
Chicken Nanban Recipe

Chicken Nanban with Tartar Sauce

Beef shigureni with eggs, rice and greens

Beef Shigureni

Mushroom miso egg drop soup

Mushroom Miso Egg Drop Soup

Published: January 24, 2019 • Last modified: July 4, 2021 ♥ All Recipes, Japanese, Soups
Further Reading
Chinese-style fried rice in white ramekin

How To Cook Chinese-style Fried Rice

Fried and skewered quail eggs. Tamsui Old Street, Taiwan

Quail Eggs in Asian Cuisines

Mandarin oranges

Symbolic Food for the Lunar New Year

Sidebar

Experience Asia

Thai Hot and Sour Soup (Tom Saap) Garnished with Chili

Thai Hot and Sour Soup (Tom Saap)

Thai cucumber salad garnished with peanuts and cilantro

Thai Cucumber Salad with Sweet and Tangy Chili Dressing

Japanese sakura rice bowls

Two Reasons to Go Back to Japan

Sam Veneracion making pottery. Bat Trang Village, Vietnam.

The Authentic Bat Trang Ceramic Village Tour and Pottery Class

Thai meatballs in curry sauce

Thai-style Meatballs in Coconut Curry Sauce

  • About
  • Privacy
  • Archive

Inspiration

“A full belly conquers all.”

From the film Saving Face
Popular Posts
  • A Guide To Ramen Broth: Shio, Shoyu, Miso and Tonkotsu
  • 3 Soy Sauce Braised Pork Belly
  • Steamed Pompano With Ginger Sauce
  • Tofu in Oyster Sauce
  • Slow Cooker Chinese-style Beef Tendon
Not So Fine Print

Devour Asia does NOT work with “brands”.

Devour Asia does NOT accept guest posts.

Devour Asia does NOT outsource recipe development, writing, photography and videography.

Except for the occasional stock photo and blockquote, everything © Devour Asia. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.