kombu katsuobushi dashi

Dashi is a classification of stock basic to Japanese cooking. There are several types, seaweed, sardine, mushroom, etc.

Kombu is a large flat dried seaweed.

Bonito usually refers to shipjack tuna, katsuo in Japanese.

Katsuobushi is flaked dried bonito. It's sort of like instant fish broth or a kind of fish tea. It can be used otherwise too, as a savory flavor topping, for instance.

Thus kombu katsuobushi dashi is seaweed and tuna flavored broth. This is dashi with sole, vegetables, and egg noodles. Plus the usual suspects, to round out its Asian cred, a dash of the three-crab type fermented fish sauce, a few glugs of mirin, and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil. This time I added something different by way of experimentation, one tablespoon coconut oil, which is a solid like lard. I would have added saki if I had it, and chile flakes wouldn't have hurt.

But even Japanese rarely do authentic kombu katsuobushi dashi anymore due to the ubiquity of powdered, granular, and liquid substitutes. They're just like us when it comes to convenience foods, possibly worse. I've tried them, those substitutes, like bullion cubes, they're gross. In fact, I have some substitute dashi here and with no intention of ever using them I might as well toss them out creating space for stuff I actually would use like tamarind paste.

The white streaks on the dried kombu is concentrated salt and minerals. It's wiped off with a clean damp towel before starting. Kombu is soaked in water for ten minutes while slowly bringing the water to a boil. Just before the water boils, remove the kombu seaweed and dump in the katsuobushi flakes. Only allow it to boil for fifteen or so seconds then remove from the heat and allow to soak until the flakes sink or until the flakes are sufficiently steeped to bring the flavor to the desired point. Strain the flakes from the liquid. Ta daaaaaaa. Fish broth. I mean, kombu katsuobushi dashi. The kombu seaweed can be sliced and returned to the broth if you want. It's a little toothsome but its taste is not unappealing. It tastes like -- how do I put this? -- cooked chlorophyl and ocean. Mmmmm, ocean.