Learn how to make Iriko Dashi (Niboshi Dashi), a Japanese anchovy stock made by boiling dried anchovies. This stock is fundamental to enhancing your miso soup for authentic flavor!
Making dashi (Japanese soup stock) is an all-important step in Japanese cooking to create authentic flavor. Today I want to share how to make a Japanese anchovy stock called Iriko Dashi (いりこだし) or Niboshi Dashi (煮干しだし), commonly used in miso soup and many other hot pots, noodle soup, and simmered dishes.
What is Iriko Dashi?
Iriko Dashi (いりこだし) or Niboshi Dashi (煮干しだし) is the Japanese soup stock made from Iriko (いりこ) / Niboshi (煮干し), dried baby sardines or anchovies.
Iriko (いりこ) / Niboshi (煮干し) come in sizes between 1.5″ to 3″ long and are often sold in plastic bags at Japanese and Asian grocery stores. They have been boiled in salt water once and then dried.
The smaller baby anchovies have a milder flavor, and the larger ones have more umami. They are high in calcium and are a great source of Omega 3, protein, and minerals.
In Japan, we enjoy these dried baby anchovies as a snack or use them to make soup stock. They are also a common ingredient in Korean, Chinese, and Southeast Asian cuisines where they are used in many different ways!
Iriko vs Niboshi – Are They The Same Thing?
Now I have been using both iriko and niboshi throughout the post when referencing the dried baby anchovies. Not to confuse you, they are actually the same thing.
The Japanese have a knack for naming produce and vegetables, so you can find different names are being used in different regions of Japan.
What Dishes to Make with Iriko Dashi
Iriko dashi is a very common stock choice to make miso soup because dried iriko are more affordable in price than katsuobushi or kombu. Since the Japanese drink miso soup almost every day, it makes sense to use Iriko Dashi. Its briny and pronounced flavor also complements the bold miso, resulting in a more complex tasting soup.
You can also use Iriko Dashi in recipes such as:
- Simmered dishes with soybeans, vegetables, seaweed, mushrooms
- Udon noodle soup
- Strongly-flavored dishes
- Good to mix with kombu dashi
Anchovy stock is also a basic stock for Korean cuisine, and the process of making the stock is very similar to the one for Japanese cuisine. For those who cannot find kombu or katsuobushi, you can try finding these dried baby anchovies/sardines from Korean grocery stores to make this Iriko 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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Iriko Dashi (Anchovy Stock)
Video
Ingredients
For 4 Cups Iriko Dashi
- ½ cup iriko/niboshi (boiled and dried anchovies) (you can find iriko or niboshi at Japanese/Korean/Asian grocery stores)
- 4 cups water
For 2 Cups Iriko Dashi
- ¼ cup iriko/niboshi (boiled and dried anchovies)
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. Measure ½ cup iriko/niboshi (boiled and dried anchovies) for the full portion of this recipe or ¼ cup iriko/niboshi (boiled and dried anchovies) for a half portion.
- I highly recommend removing the head and gut from the fish to reduce bitter flavor in iriko dashi. First, remove the head, and then around the belly area (bottom side), take out the gut inside (black color).
- Continue with the rest of the iriko/niboshi. Discard the head and guts.
- Soak the iriko/niboshi in 4 cups water (or 2 cups water for a half portion) for 20–30 minutes, preferably overnight.
- Transfer the water and iriko/niboshi into a small saucepan and slowly bring the water to a boil.
- When boiling, skim and reduce heat to low and cook for 8–10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and drain into a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl or measuring cup. Any extra dashi needs to be refrigerated and used within 3–5 days or freeze for later use.
To Store
- If you don‘t make it right away, you can freeze the leftover iriko/niboshi and defrost to make it later on.
- You can season the leftover iriko with sweet soy sauce flavors just like how we make Tazukuri (Candied Anchovies).
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published in March 2014. New images and content have been added to the post in April 2019.
This is great! I recently found niboshi powder at my Japanese grocer, and wondering if you have any recommendation for using that. I’ve always used whole fish, but this seems interesting.
Hello, Steve! Niboshi powder can be used to make Dashi or as a seasoning.
If the product is in a loose packet (rather than a tea bag), you can add it directly to the soup or dish.
You may also use it as furikake (mixed with rice), sprinkle it on top of dishes like okonomiyaki, or top it just like you use katsuobushi.
We hope this helps!
Hiya,
I’m a little confused about the cup measurements on the site. Where it says “1 cup” does that mean a 250ml cup? I’m in the UK and I know UK and US cup measurements are different as well as the fact that some Japanese recipes use a 180ml rice cooker cup.
In Ms.Chen’s recipes is it always a 250ml cup unless specified to be a 180ml rice cooker cup?
Thank you!
Hi. I’m 66 now but as an American child lived on Okinawa for 7 yrs. Our maid made Sukiyaki for us. I loved it, and it haunts me still today. I’m a great cook and love trying new things. I want to make it myself now. Would you have any idea what kind of sauce THEY used. I’d have no idea if it started with fish or just seed weed and mushrooms. It was back in the early 1960’s so the ingredient list may have been slimmer than today.
I loved that thinly, sliced beef, the dark brown broth over rice with the cellophane noodles.. So far I can’t find a Japanese restaurant that makes it here in Orlando FL.
Thank YOU so much!
Hi Marie! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post.
Okinawa Sukiyaki has a similar flavor to Kansai or Kanto style. https://www.justonecookbook.com/sukiyaki/
But vegetables are probably cabbage or lettuce. And recipes that we fond are only using water instead of Dashi. Your maid might use Katsuo Dashi which is more common than Iriko Dashi in Okinawa cuisine, so try recreating the broth with Katsuo Dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar, and see how it goes.
Here are a few recipes that we found. (Sorry, only in Japanese)
https://cookpad.com/recipe/4471795
http://www.mammemo.net/article/450384631.html
We hope this helps!
I made this dashi and also added a little Kombu for extra flavor. Can I make Niban dashi with these anchovies and kombu?
Hi Linda! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Niban Dashi is usually made from previously used kombu and katsuobushi. If Iriko had boiled once to make Dashi, we don’t recommend using them for making Niban Dashi. Instead, we think making Tazukuri (Candied Anchovies) will be a better choice.🙂
Hi sorry one more question 🙂 The leftover anchovies, can we reuse them to make another pot of dashi? Besides the Tazukuri (Candied Anchovies), is there anything else specific you would do to them?
Hi Tanuja, You can make Homemade Furikake if you would like.
Use a food processer etc., to grind the leftover anchovies, and you can follow this recipe with Katsuobushi or without it. https://www.justonecookbook.com/homemade-furikake-rice-seasoning/
We hope this recipe inspires you.
Hi Nami, for your Tazukuri recipe at the end of the post, Can I use the leftover anchovies used to make the dashi? As in the ones that I’ve drained from the stock? Or did you mean the leftover anchovies from the rest of the packet?
Hi Tanuja, Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Yes. You can use both the leftover(used) anchovies(Iriko) from Dashi stock and the unused Iriko from the rest of the package to make Tazukuri. https://www.justonecookbook.com/tazukuri-candied-sardines/
Please feel free to adjust the seasoning amount for the used anchovies, which will taste less salter than unused ones.
We hope this helps!
The dried anchovies I have are frozen. Are they okay to use for Dashi?
Hi Ashley! Yes, you can. I store my dried anchovies in the freezer. 🙂
Just made this and it tastes delicious. Excited because even my mom never made dashi broth without the instant powder. This tastes 1000x better!
Hi Kimiko! I’m so excited to hear that you tried making dashi from scratch. Homemade dashi tastes better even after making miso soup. Often times, dashi powder fragrance and taste disappear immediately after making the stock. Hope you enjoy using Iriko dashi! 🙂
Hi Nami, thank you very much for the whole work you did on this blog. A real journey to japanese cooking for me! I’ve made a excellent Awase Dashi today for some Tamokayaki. Was great but way too expansive for regular use, around 5 USD just for the stock ://. Trying to find a cheaper option without downgrading taste too much, I thougt I could try this Iriko Dashi. And then, got to struggle to find the ingredients… Anyway, I’m wondering the difference between Chirimen Jako and Iriko / Nabushi you’re using here. Could you please help? Thank you!
Hi Ludovic! I’m really happy to hear you enjoy my website and thank you for your kind feedback. Iriko dashi is more fishy taste, but it’s an inexpensive option in Japan too. Korean grocery stores definitely carry these small (or even big) anchovies as they use them to make their stock.
When I’m in a hurry I use this brand of dashi packet and works wonderfully: https://amzn.to/2looF4P
I have a little bit of explanation on Chirimen Jako here:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/chirimen-jako-shirasu/
Hope this helps!
Hi Nami, thank you for your time. I just read your article on Chirimen Jako and felt like they are the same than Niboshi. Eventually I understand that any dried baby fishes, even if not so “baby” would do the job for an Iriko Dashi. I’ll try to find an option nearby (I’m in France).
Hi Ludovic! I see you are in France! Hmmm Chirimen Jako are super small compared to Niboshi, and it does not have much taste for making broth. So we never use them for dashi. In Japan Iriko (niboshi) are roughly this size:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/iriko-niboshi/
Ok, thank you very much 🙂
I like your site but it’s almost overwhelming, looking for a recipe you almost have to search for it. Love the recipes but simplify the overall content…
Regards,
Greg
Hi Greg! Thank you very much for your honest feedback. With over 700 recipes, I struggle to showcase all my recipes. Search is probably the easy way to find a recipe, if categories don’t help you. I’m interested to hear your thoughts if you have any suggestions. Please feel free to email me. 🙂
So use boil the water that is soak with fish? Or use new water? Is 10mins enough time to bring out the Unami? I used to boil it for an hr.
Hi Val! We soak them before cooking, like overnight. However, once you start cooking, some recipes recommend only 3-5 minutes. I do 10 minutes and that’s pretty considered long. 🙂