Dashi is the basic Japanese soup stock used in many Japanese dishes. Learn how to make Awase Dashi at home with umami-packed ingredients like kombu (dried kelp) and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes).
When you decide to make Japanese food, you will realize that a lot of recipes require dashi, Japanese soup stock.
With this unfamiliar ingredient, you may think Japanese food is hard to replicate at home. On the contrary, dashi is actually the easiest soup stock anyone can make from scratch as it requires only 1-2 ingredients and 20-minute prep time. This post shows you how you can make Awase Dashi using a combination of ingredients. Once you learn the ins and outs of dashi making, you’ll be ready to tackle Japanese cooking with a breeze.
Table of Contents
What is Dashi?
Dashi (だし, 出汁) is Japanese soup stock that builds the bases for many of your favorite Japanese dishes like miso soup, chawanmushi, ramen, and shabu shabu. It is the essence of authentic Japanese flavor, and it tells the dishes apart if other substitutions are being used in place of the soup stock. And what defines dashi is the use of carefully selected ingredients like kombu, bonito flakes, shiitake mushrooms, and anchovies, and each ingredient is uniquely Japanese.
In general, there are five different types of dashi (two are vegan). Scroll down to see 5 different types or check out my Ultimate Dashi Guide. When we say “dashi” in Japan, it usually implies Awase Dashi because it’s the most commonly used stock.
Awase Dashi (合わせだし) is made from a combination of kombu (dried kelp) and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), and it’s the seafood-based stock. *Awase (合わせ) means “to combine”, “mixed”, or “together.”
How to Make All-Purpose Basic Dashi
The First Dashi
The base of Awase Dashi is a vegan Kombu Dashi made from dried kelp. You can cold brew or hot brew kombu to make the dashi. Then you would add dried bonito flakes to the kombu dashi. This makes the stock more enriched. When you make dashi from the spent kombu and katsuobushi, it’s called Ichiban Dashi (一番だし). It’s basically the first pure dashi.
The Second Dashi
Niban Dashi (二番だし), or the second dashi is made from the spent kombu and katsuobushi, which you reserved from making Ichiban Dashi. Niban Dashi is a lighter, less intense dashi, yet still provides a great umami flavor despite the previously used ingredients.
Do we really need to make dashi twice?
At a regular household, we make such a small amount of dashi that it’s not very efficient to make both Ichiban Dashi and Niban Dashi. My suggestion is to make very good Ichiban Dashi and utilize the used kombu and katsuobushi to make Homemade Furikake (rice seasoning) and Kombu Tsukudani (simmered kombu) after collecting enough used kombu and katsuobushi. This way, there will be no waste, and you get another side dish to accompany your meal.
So then who makes Niban Dashi? Japanese restaurants make a huge batch of dashi daily. They use Ichiban Dashi for dishes like Clear Soups (Osumashi おすまし) and Chawanmushi, which require the pure and maximum amount of umami from the dashi ingredients. They typically use Niban Dashi for simmered food (Nimono) and miso soup, which doesn’t require much flavor from the soup stock.
Dashi Shortcut
Sometimes life happens and you just don’t have 20 minutes to make dashi from scratch. On those occasions, you can use Dashi Packet or Dashi Powder.
I love using Kayanoya Dashi Packet (left) and Shimaya Dashi Powder (right). Both are MSG-free and additive-free. You can purchase them at Japanese grocery stores or on Amazon:
The instruction on how to use them (recipes) can be found in the Dashi Packet post and Dashi Powder post.
Easy & Delicious Recipes Using Dashi
The Ultimate Dashi Guide
Dashi plays an important role as a flavor enhancer in Japanese cooking, so you don’t need to season the food with too much salt, fat, and sugar. Rich in minerals and other vitamins, dashi is considered a healthy ingredient in our daily diet.
There are six different types of dashi you can use in Japanese cooking, including vegetarian and vegan dashi (*).
- Awase Dashi – a stock made from a combination of dried kelp + bonito flakes
- Kombu Dashi * – a stock made from dried kelp
- Katsuo Dashi – a stock made from dried bonito flakes
- Iriko Dashi – a stock made from dried anchovies/sardines
- Shiitake Dashi * – a stock made from dried shiitake mushrooms
- Vegan Dashi * – a stock made from dried shiitake mushrooms and kombu
If you are new to different types of dashi, check out my Ultimate Dashi Guide.
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Awase Dashi (Japanese Soup Stock)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 piece kombu (dried kelp) (10 g; 4 x 4 inches, 10 x 10 cm per piece)
- 1 cup katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) (packed; 10 g)
- 4 cups water
Instructions
Before You Start…
- Sometimes life happens and you just don‘t have 20 minutes to make dashi from scratch. On those occasions, you can use a Dashi Packet or Dashi Powder.
- Gather all the ingredients. Most Japanese recipes would say to gently clean the kombu with a damp cloth. However, these days, kombu is quite clean, so just make sure it doesn't have any mold spots and it‘s ready to use. Do not wash or wipe off the white powdery substance, as it has lots of umami.
- Make several slits in 1 piece kombu (dried kelp) to release more flavor.
To Make the Cold Brew Kombu Dashi Ahead of Time (Optional)
- Put 4 cups water and the kombu in a large bottle and let it steep on the counter for 2–3 hours in the summertime and 4–5 hours in the wintertime. You can also cold brew the kombu dashi overnight in the refrigerator.
To Make the Awase Dashi
- Add the kombu and water to a medium saucepan. If you have cold brew Kombu Dashi (previous step), add the Kombu Dashi and hydrated kombu to the saucepan.
- Turn on the heat to medium low and slowly bring to almost boiling, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, clean the dashi by skimming the foam and debris from the surface.
- Just before the dashi starts boiling gently, remove the kombu from the saucepan (discard or repurpose in other recipes—suggestions follow). If you leave the kombu in the saucepan, the dashi will become slimy and bitter.
- Add 1 cup katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) and bring it back to a boil again.
- Once the dashi is boiling, reduce the heat, simmer for just 30 seconds, and turn off the heat.
- Let the katsuobushi sink to the bottom, about 10 minutes.
- Strain the dashi through a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl or measuring cup. Reserve the katsuobushi and repurpose it; see the suggested recipes that follow. The Awase Dashi is ready to use.
To Store
- If you are not using the dashi right away, store the dashi in a bottle or mason jar and keep it in the refrigerator for 3–5 days or in the freezer for 2 weeks.
What to do with the spent katsuobushi and kombu?
- Save the spent kombu and katsuobushi in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for a week or in the freezer for up to a month.
- With the spent kombu, you can make Simmered Kombu (Kombu Tsukudani).
- You can also make Homemade Furikake (Rice Seasoning).
Optional: Niban (Second) Dashi
- In a medium saucepan, put 2–4 cups* of water and previously used kombu and katsuobushi from making the first dashi. Bring it to a boil over medium-low heat. *2 cups would make a stronger dashi.
- Remove the kombu just before the liquid comes to a boil, then lower the heat, and cook for 10 minutes, skimming occasionally.
- Add an additional ½ cup (5 grams) of fresh katsuobushi and turn off the heat.
- Let the katsuobushi sink to the bottom and strain the dashi through the fine-mesh sieve.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in January 2013. The images and content have been updated in April 2019.
Hi, is I it possible to cold brew Kombu to get dashi? Can I just leave my Kombu in the correct amount of water in my Nalgene bottle in the fridge overnight and get dashi? How do I add the bonito flakes after? Thanks very much. This supply of dashi issue has been bugging me and if I always have some on hand, I can sleep in on Saturdays and still get a great lunch going.
Hi Christine! Yes, you can do that. I don’t recommend to leave the kombu for more than overnight though as it gets slimy. So just soak the kombu overnight, then heat it for katsuobushi. Or kombu dashi (after removing kombu) can last for up to a week, so you can add katsuobushi anytime you want to make dashi. Hope that helps!
[…] have an option of using Katsuo Dashi or Awase Dashi (kombu + katsuo), but it’s all up to you. In this recipe, I have made dashi using dashi […]
Thank you so much!! I bought some Bonito flakes and Kombu several years ago and was never sure what to do with them. I was about to toss them out when I found your site. I made broth and used it to extend some fish stew I’d made the day prior. It was delicious! I hate to waste any food and so appreciate your posting the recipe and photos.
Hi Pamela! I’m so happy to hear my post was helpful. Thank you for giving this recipe a try and your fish stew sounds wonderful!!
Can’t you just add dried Bonita on top of your miso soup instead?
Hi Elsa! Miso soup is made of dashi, which is a Japanese stock. It’s kind of different when you add the stock ingredient (bonito flakes) on top of the finished soup. Hope that makes sense.
[…] you’re interested in specific dashi, please check out the following links for how to make Awase Dashi (with video), Kombu Dashi, Iriko Dashi (with video), and Shiitake Dashi (with […]
[…] broth or vegetable broth will not make Takikomi Gohan. You can use any dashi you like – Awase Dashi (Kombu + Katsuobushi), Kombu Dashi, and Shiitake Dashi. You can pick 3 ways to make dashi (dashi […]
[…] I have not posted my own recipe for making dashi, I recommend that you head over to Just One Cookbook’s comprehensive page on the subject for some excellent instructions on how to make it. I usually add a few dried […]
I’ve made Dashi for several years. I bought Bonita flakes ( product of Indonesia) from an on line retailer. I noticed for the first time the Katsuobushi is smoked. The flavor is very strong. Here are the proportions of basic ingredients I use for Dashi.
4 cups water
1 kombu
40 grams bonito flakes
Is this correct. Never before have I used Bonita flakes that have a strong Smokey flavor/smell.
Hi David! Yes bonito flakes/Katsuobushi are always smoked. Everyone makes it slightly differently and the taste is truly up to you. Kombu size can be different too, depending on the type of kombu. 🙂
[…] Home made dashi recipe, click here. […]
Amazing . . . when used as an ingredient in Bouillabaisse it adds a very special flavor to what is already a great dish. Be careful with adding salt because the powder is already salty….very salty.
Hi Henrik! Ohh so you added dashi powder to the Bouillabaisse! I’ve never done that and now I’m interested in trying it out. Thanks for sharing your tip with us!
[…] Awase dashi […]
[…] into vegetarian/vegan, you can use Kombu Dashi, otherwise, you can make it with the most common Awase Dashi made with both kombu and katsuobushi (dried bonito […]
[…] Awase Dashi (regular dashi) or vegan/vegetarian friendly Kombu […]
[…] in a dashi-infused soy sauce based marinade for several hours. The marinade has umami from dashi (katsuobushi & kombu dashi or vegetarian/vegan dashi), savory taste from soy sauce, and a tinge of sweetness from […]
I’ve been following your recipes for miso soup and dashi for awhile now and my family loves it! But I’ve been wondering why I need to wipe off the kombu, especially when I need to leave the white powder? I’ve been skipping this step but is that okay?
Hi Nicole! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. Yes, that’s okay. I think kombu is dried and packaged much nicely these days, but the production of kombu back then was more in a rustic environment (?) that every recipe would recommend cleaning with damp cloth. I think these days kombu doesn’t look that dirty though. But it’s something that was dried outside in the air, so it could be dirty. Just make sure it’s clean. 🙂