dashi

Japanese umami base

Dashi is a Japanese cooking stock that forms the flavor base of many traditional dishes.

Made by steeping ingredients like dried kelp (kombu) and bonito fish flakes (katsuobushi), it provides the savory depth called umami.

Dashi appears in miso soup, noodle broths, and simmered dishes: The recipe calls for two cups of dashi.

Japanese

kombu

Edible Japanese seaweed

bonitoMid-sized scombrid fish
shiitakeEast Asian edible mushroom

cooking

miso

Fermented legume paste

ramenJapanese noodle soup
noodleLong thin pasta strand
simmerCook just under boiling

soba · udon · oden · shabu-shabu · sukiyaki · blanching · poaching · seasoning · tare · hotpot

broth

stock

Goods kept for sale

soupCooked liquid dish
baseSupporting bottom structure
liquidFree-flowing substance

infusion · simmer · consommé · bouillon · flavorful · extract · reduction · potage · clear · steeping

umami

savory

Appetizing, not sweet

glutamateExcitatory neural transmitter
flavorCharacteristic taste quality
depthDistance below surface

richness · meaty · earthy · fermented · complexity · mouthfeel · taste · deliciousness · synergy · subtle

Categories

Japanese foodsushi, ramen, tempura, sashimi, miso
ramenramen, tonkotsu, shoyu, miso, noodles
hot potshabu-shabu, sukiyaki, broth, tofu, napa cabbage
cooking basesstock, broth, roux, bouillon, mirepoix
Japanese ingredientssoy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, shoyu, tamari
stockmakingstock, broth, stockpot, simmering, mirepoix

Opposites

culinary stock tradition

dashichicken stock

Savory poultry-simmered liquid

beef stock · consommé · bone broth · fond · fumet

flavor intensity/subtlety

dashibrown stock

Broth from roasted bones

demi-glace · bone broth

umami intensity

dashiplain water

Unadorned drinking liquid

Family

Familiarity: Top 1,000,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Rated G