Dashi Is the Best Base for Summer Soups

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We talk a lot about broth here on Lifehacker, and we’re fans of a certain brand of broth everywhere. What we rarely talk about is the umami-rich broth known as dashi, which is a staple in Japanese cuisine.

What is Dashi?

If you’ve dined at a Japanese restaurant, chances are dashi was your favorite food. It is a broth made from seaweed, especially kombu , and dried mackerel flakes . Often served with noodles, it also serves as the base for common dishes such as agedashi tofu and is a key ingredient in miso soup and okonomiyaki.

While dashi is great for pescatarian and vegetarian dishes, it has other uses as well. It has a deep flavor profile that is different from other broths and can be paired with hearty meat dishes. It’s also delicious at room temperature (or colder), making it the perfect base for summer soups.

There are several varieties of dashi that require variations of kombu and mackerel flakes. Some call for sardines or anchovies, and there are versions made with shiitake mushrooms. While bonito makes traditional awase dashi (bonito and kombu) pescatarian, you can also try vegan versions .

You also don’t have to make your own dashi, you can buy dashi in bags from an Asian grocer in all kinds. Treat it like a tea bag by soaking it in hot water to make a fragrant dashi.

How to make awase dashi (and furikake)

Personally, I prefer to make dashi. I can season it however I please and get a really nice, fresh base, and end up with furikake as a by-product. I have found that it keeps well in the refrigerator for at least a week and freezes surprisingly well.

Ingredients:

  • 2 liters of cold water
  • 2-3 grams of kombu
  • 2 cups mackerel flakes

Kombu comes in strips, and if you have a little more or a little less than the amount indicated, it’s not a problem. Cut the kombu, but not completely, but only into 2-3 slots. This will help bring out the flavor. In a saucepan, add kombu to cold water, cover the pot and bring to a boil. Quickly reduce the heat to a boil and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Take out the kombu and set it aside. Turn off the heat, but leave the pot in place.

Get everything you need to make your own dashi:

Add the mackerel flakes to the pot, cover again and let sit for 10 minutes. Now pour the broth through a strainer into a bowl. The broth in the bowl is the finished dashi.

To make furikake, take filtered mackerel flakes and kombu and place them on a cutting board. Finely chop them and let dry. Once dry, you can pour the mixture into a container and store them in the refrigerator. It’s great with rice or in the dish below.

Cold soba in dashi with Japanese pickles

I started making this dish a few years ago and it helped me get through the pandemic summer. I can have it at least once a week and never get tired or it. It’s easy to make and incredibly satisfying. This is a pescatarian dish, but you can make it vegan or go the other way and add some roast pork or duck.

Ingredients:

  • 1 handful raw soba noodles (you know how much you like)
  • 2 cups room temperature or cold dashi
  • ½ cup green onions
  • 1 tablespoon grated radish or daikon
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
  • Optional: Various Japanese cucumbers for garnish.
  • Optional: 1 soft-boiled chicken or quail egg.

This recipe cooks very quickly. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the soba noodles and cook for five minutes. Drain and rinse immediately with cold water. Stir the pasta with your hands while you rinse it; this gets rid of a lot of the starch that will make the noodles sticky. Now give them a good shake in a colander to remove excess water and let them drain for a minute.

Meanwhile, add the dashi to the bowl. Chop up any pickles you are going to use and green onions. Use this time to soft-boil the egg if you intend to use it. Add the soba noodles to the dashi bowl and layer on the cucumbers. If you have boiled an egg, crack it open and place it on top of the pickles. Finally, garnish with green onions, ginger and radishes. You can also add furikake if you have one.

Enjoy soup spoon and chopsticks. You can crack an egg and swirl it in your soup and hopefully get a bite of marinade, side dish, soup and noodles in every bite.

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