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Kombu Dashi

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Makes about 2 quarts 1x

Time 15 minutes

  • 1 piece dried kelp (kombu), 4 to 6 inches long
  • 2 or 3 nickel-sized slices fresh ginger (don’t bother to peel)
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Ingredients

  • 1 piece dried kelp (kombu), 4 to 6 inches long
  • 2 or 3 nickel-sized slices fresh ginger (don’t bother to peel)

Instructions

1. Put the kelp, ginger, and 10 cups water in a saucepan over medium heat. Don’t allow the mixture to come to a boil. As soon as it is about to, turn off the heat and remove the kelp. (Chop it for a stir-fry later if you’d like.)

2. Let the ginger sit in the dashi for a couple of minutes as it cools, then strain the dashi through a mesh strainer. Use the dashi immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Recipe variations

No-Cook Dashi. Many Japanese cooks believe this to be a superior version (and it saves you time), but it requires some advance planning: Immerse the dried kelp in 8 cups cold water in a bowl on your way out the door in the morning. It will infuse the water with its flavor in 6 to 8 hours (but can sit for longer if you need). Strain and use as you would cooked dashi.

— Recipe from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian Completely Revised Tenth Anniversary Edition