The Basics of Japanese Cuisine – Dashi

• 1.Various Types of Dashi

  Let’s explore dashi in a little more depth. Dashi stock made with kombu and katsuobushi flakes is basic and the mainstay of many dishes. When the two ingredients are combined, a synergy arises between the glutamic acid of the kombu and the inosinic acid of the katsuobushi that results in an ideal umami taste. Research has shown that the greatest amount of umami can be extracted from kombu by heating it in water on a low 60°C heat for one hour. The role of dashi is to bring out the inherent flavour of ingredients without impairing the distinctiveness of the dish.
  The flavour of dashi differs not only depending on the type of kombu but also the type of katsuobushi flakes used. The karebushi flakes yield a stronger flavoured stock than arabushi. People of the Kansai area, who prefer lighter, more refined tastes, tend to use arabushi, while the stronger-tasting karebushi flake stock is more popular in the Kanto area. Flakes made from fillets of bonito (katsuo) is the most common, but tuna (maguro), mackerel (saba), and sardine (iwashi) flakes are also used. Niboshi, which are small, dried fish such as iwashi, are also used to make stock. The most common type used for stock are Japanese anchovies (katakuchi iwashi), which contain fat and make a rich-tasting stock. Niboshi are not usually used alone for stock, but generally added to further enhance the richness of flavour in a kombu and katsuobushi stock.

  

• 2.The Tradition and Evolution of Dashi

  Dashi has been a familiar element of Japanese cooking for centuries, as we can tell from works compiled in the Muromachi period (1336-1573) detailing how to make kombu stock. Indeed, stock has a long tradition in various parts of the world— the bouillon and fond of France, the tang of China, and so forth —although the ingredients and the way stock is used in cooking may differ from one place to another. With the healthy aspects of Japanese food gaining the limelight in recent years, chefs around the world who have learned about the techniques of making Japanese stock have begun to develop original recipes utilizing bouillon and umami-rich ingredients in place of butter and cream. Mushrooms, tomatoes, chicken and other ingredients that make good stock are available around the world and research led by chefs is progressing in the uses of umami-rich ingredients. The potential for new types of stock seems to be infinite.

  

• 3.Types of Kombu and Katsuobushi

  Kombu seaweed and katsuobushi (dried bonito) are indispensable to good dashi. The types of kombu most commonly used to make broth are Rishiri (Saccharina ochotensis), Rausu (Saccharina diabolica), Hidaka (Saccharina angustata), and Makombu (Saccharina japonica). Rishiri kombu makes a clear, mild broth ideal for refined kaiseki soups. Hidaka kombu, meanwhile, is used for dashi, but because it is soft and thick it is also suitable for kombu rolls and simmered dishes.
  Katsuobushi is processed by drying and smoking, and may be found as karebushi, covered with mould, or arabushi, without mould. The mould causes the breakdown of proteins in the fish and the formation of amino acids that enhance umami. Arabushi produces a relatively clear soup, while karebushi has a richer flavour.

  

4.Typical Japanese Cuisine Using Dashi

© photograph Kuma Masashi

Tilefish in Clear Broth

The flavour of nimono is determined by the quality of the broth (suiji) made by seasoning dashi with soy sauce, salt, and other ingredients. Sumashi-jitate is the most basic method of preparation, and uses ichiban dashi. In this recipe, dried sea cucumber ovaries plus rapeseed blossom, a spring vegetable, are added to tilefish grilled to a fragrant golden brown, the tang of yuzu providing the final touch.

© photograph Kuma Masashi

Eel in Salt Broth

This dish is based on the technique used to make sea bream salt broth. The art of cooking sea bream this way has to do with striking the perfect balance between obtaining broth from the fish and cooking it only so long that one can still eat the flesh. The fish must have bones, and some gelatinous components. For sea bream, prep to remove any odour before cooking in kombu stock, skimming as needed, and about 10 minutes after it boils the result will be a clear, tasty soup. Preparing stock from eel is unusual, and here the stock is made in essentially the same manner as salt broth from sea bream, paired with unseasoned grilled eel. The grilled aroma transfers to the stock, adding extra body to its flavour. Foods such as turtle and chicken can be served in a salt broth in a similar manner. Think about how to substitute different ingredients and many variations will come to mind.