Japanese Dashi Broth

Dashi is an incredibly simple fish broth and it forms one of the culinary cornerstones of Japanese cooking. It's made in about 10 minutes with just three ingredients: water, kombu (dried kelp), and katsuobushi or bonito flakes (dried and smoked skipjack tuna that is shaved into thin flakes). The resulting clear broth forms the base for miso soup, noodle broth and many kinds of simmering liquid.  Kombu is rich in glutamic acid while katsuobushi is especially high in inosinic acid, with the synergy effect identified as a source of umami, one of the five basic tastes in Japan, besides sweetness, sourness, saltiness and bitterness .

There are also other ingredients for making homemade dashi broth like dried iriko or niboshi (anchovies/sardine) or dried shiitake (mushroom) but the most common fish based stock is made from a combination of kombu and katsuobushi/bonito flakes, a basic all-purpose stock and 80% of most cooking this goes well with this dashi. Dashi stock made from these dried ingredients creates a savory umami flavor so you don't need to season the food much. These days, you can also find granulated or liquid instant dashi sold in supermarkets but it tend to have a strong and less subtle flavor than the homemade one.

The best buy of dried kelp or kombu comes from Hokkaido, namely, the hidaka-kombu and rausu-kombu and rishiri-kombu, dried and cut into sheets. The powdery crystals clinging to the surface of the seaweed contains glutamate and when dissolve in the water, give the dashi much of its umami flavor. Bonito flakes in packs are available easily in Japan, in various prices depending on the process of drying and smoking the tuna. The best striped tuna comes from Shizuoka, Miyagi, Mie and Miyazaki.

How to make dashi broth with kombu and bonito flakes?

First broth
1. Soak kombo in a four-cup (800ml) water in a saucepan.
2. Set over medium heat and remove the kombu before the water comes to a full boil
3. Add bonito flakes and simmer for about 1 minute
4. Remove the pan from heat and let the bonito flakes steep in the broth for an additional 5 minutes before straining the broth
The broth can be used immediately or refrigerated up to a week

Second broth

(remaining resultant liquid that is less subtle but can still be used for home cooking)

Add additional two cups of water (400ml), pouring through the strained kombu and bonito flakes and set over medium heat for 4-5 minutes and then strain the broth.

Washoku (和食)、Japanese Dietary Culture

Washoku was added to UNESCO’s intangible Cultural Heritage list in December 2013. Wa (和) means Japan or Japanese and shoku (食) means food or to eat. (Other examples are Wagyu means Japanese beef, Wagashi, means Japanese confectionary and so on). What makes Washoku special and why does it mean more than just a Japanese food? Let’s explore and discover the world of Washoku and its flavors.

1.    Characteristics of Washoku - Ichiju-sansai (一汁三菜):

Known as Ichiju-sansai  “One Soup and Three Dishes” , Washoku consists of rice, one soup, one main dish and two side dishes. This structure provides the very foundation from a daily home cooking meal to a full-course cuisine. So if you buy a full lunch box at any of the obento kisok or at the supermarket, you will notice that dish fillings in the spaced case keep to this basic structure of Ichiju-sansai.


Typical Japanese Ichiju-sansai dishes

2. Fresh and Natural Ingredients

Japanese meals and cuisine values the natural bounty and is distinguished by the different types of ingredients available in that season. It is also consumed with minimal cooking with the used of dashi. Dashi is a delicious stock made from boiling flakes of dried bonito and dried kombu (kelp) to create a savory natural umami flavor. Thus, dashi stock made in this way can helps to bring out the natural flavors of the ingredients in washoku dishes with just little seasoning.

3. A well-balanced and healthy Diet

Washoku meals which consist of more fish and vegetable and less meat promotes a well-balanced and low fat diet. Washoku is found to possess the ideal balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, thus contributing to the long life expectancy of the Japanese.

4. Beauty in Presentation

Natural decorations are used to decorate the food. Bamboo leaves are used to adorn the dishes in summer while carrots are made to resemble maple leaves in autumn. The presentation usually reflects the beauty of the changing seasons.

5. Connecting People, Community and Country

Washoku dishes plays an important role on occasions such as New Year’s Day celebration in fostering stronger family and community ties through the harmony of food. Washoku also has important functions to play in the society. Technology to transport fresh and seasonal ingredients is developed, precise touch to cuisine and hospitality are born out of the need to improve. Washoku indeed helps to define the Japanese identity.

Seven-Herbs Rice Porridge (Nanakusa-Gayu)

Japan has a tradition for eating the Nanakusa-Gayu (七草粥) on January 7 of each year, called Jinjitsu (人日). It is one of the five annual traditions (go-sekku 五節句) that are held in Japan. The nanakusa-gayu is made with rice, water, or a light broth and seven edible wild herbs. The rice soup or porridge is meant to let the “overworked” stomach and digestive system rest and bring longevity and health in the coming year. And, the seven herbs of spring (haru no nanakusa 春の七草) are chosen for their unique health promoting properties consist of:

• Water Dropwort — seri (せり)  increase appetite
• Shepherd’s Purse — nazuna (なずな) rich in iron
• Cudweed — gogyō (ごぎょう) prevents cold
• Chickweed — hakobera (はこべら) rich in Vitamin A
• Nipplewort— hotoke-no-za (ほとけのざ) rich in dietary fiber
• Turnip — suzuna (すずな) rich in vitamins
• Radish — suzushiro (すずしろ) promotes digestion and prevents colds

These herbs are readily available in packs in any supermarkets in Japan, after the New Year. It’s fairly easy to make the rice porridge by boiling the rice into a hot porridge kayu and then chop and mix the herbs into it with a spoonful of salt and soybean sauce.

Wishing you good health throughout the year!

Osechi Ryori (おせち料理): Japanese New Year’s Cuisine

Osechi ryori has an array of colorful customary dishes packed together in special 3-layered boxes called jubako (重箱), but these days people prepare these traditional dishes and arrange them using modern tableware. Many of the dishes are either dried or contain a lot of sugar or vinegar to preserve the food and enough is made to last a few days since New Year’s is a time for rest.

As the most important customary meal of the year, each dish serves as a symbol or wish for the coming year has a meaning attached:

Kuromame (sweetened black beans), In Japanese, the word for bean, “mame,”is a homonym for “health” and “diligence”

Kazunoko (herring roe) Herring roe in Japanese is read as kazu (number) and ko (child) symbolizes a wish for many children (fertility).

Tazukuri (dried anchovies) Tazukuri literally translates as “making rice crops” and eating these tiny fish on New Year’s symbolizes abundant harvest (In the olden days, anchovies were used as fertilizers).

Goubo (burdock root seasoned with sesame or vinegar) Burdock is eaten as a wish for good health and an abundant harvest because the roots of the burdock plant grow deep into the ground and represent a crane (the symbol of a fruitful year),

Datemaki (sweet omelet mixed with fish paste or shrimp) Datemaki looks like a scroll so eating this dish on New Year’s is a wish for scholarship and culture.

Kohaku Kamaboko (Japanese fishcake) The pink (red) and white kamaboko are auspicious colors in Japan and resemble the first sunrise of the New Year. Color red is believed to be a talisman against evil and white signifies purity

Kurikinton (sweet chestnuts) The bright yellow gold color symbolized wealth.

Tai (grilled red seabream) Tai means luck because it rhymes with medetai (めでたい, congratulatory). Tai as a king of fish, is also eaten in other special occasions such as weddings or winning sumo wrestling championship.

Ebi (shrimp) Ebi signify old people because of its curved body, so eating them is believed to symbolize longevity.

Renkon (vinegar lotus root) Lotus root, enable you to look through its many holes in it, is a symbol of an unobstructed view of the future

Kohaku Namasu (red and white vinegar daikon and carrots) Red and white is a persistent color scheme in many osechi dishes, symbolizing a good omen

Konbu Maki (dried herring wrapped in seaweed) The word “konbu" means “happiness”. Much like the rolled shape of datemaki, the shape of konbu maki symbolizes a wish for scholarship and culture.

Go ahead and impress your Japanese friends with the various osechi meanings