Dashi

Japanese Stock

Dashi

出汁 (Japanese)

Also called Japanese stock · Kombu dashi · Awase dashi

Clean, oceanic umami with a faint smokiness from bonito; light in body but deep in flavour.

What it is

The foundational Japanese stock, made from kombu (kelp) and katsuobushi (dried bonito), or from kombu alone for a vegan version.

How it tastes

Clean, oceanic umami with a faint smokiness from bonito; light in body but deep in flavour.

  • Savoury/Umami

How to use it

Steep kombu in water, bring almost to a simmer, remove, then add bonito flakes and strain; or use instant dashi powder. It is the base of miso soup, noodle broths, simmered vegetables, tamagoyaki and dipping sauces.

  • Base/Stock

Where it comes from

Dashi is where the concept of umami was first identified in 1908, when Kikunae Ikeda isolated glutamate from kombu. It takes minutes to make and is behind almost every savoury Japanese dish.

Tasted and scored by us · the same axes as every product page How it tastes · four axes

Sweet
Faint
Heat
None
Salt
Kombu salinity
Sour
None

Salt is a formulation property; on a raw ingredient it is read from the ingredient itself.

What it is made from

Across cuisines · not a substitute

Recipes arrive with the shelf

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Products that contain it

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