Dashi (出汁) is the fundamental base of Japanese cuisine. It is an essential ingredient in many recipes, particularly soups and broths. Stemming from a thousand-year-old tradition, dashi can be prepared with several ingredients, but the most common are dried bonito (katsuobushi) and kombu seaweed. There are also dashis based on other fish, shrimps or shiitake mushrooms.
Dashi is one of the ingredients that brings out the dish's umami and contributes to its distinctive Japanese flavor.
While it's easy enough to make your own dashi, the Japanese have developed a whole range of dashi preparations that can be reconstituted in a little water.
These easy-to-use and store preparations are called Dashi no moto (だしの素).
Ready-to-use dashi is also available in bottled liquid form. Called white dashi, or shiro dashi (白だし), it's just as easy to use but needs to be stored in the fridge afterwards.
The different dashis can also be mixed together, and the quantities indicated can be modified to suit your taste!
For those who prefer home-style cooking, you can also concoct your own homemade dashi (recipe in french only) using our basic ingredients available in the store: dried bonito and kombu seaweed. This traditional method involves boiling these two ingredients together, offering a unique and authentic taste experience of dashi.