Vegetarian Dashi -Broth

Japanese cooking begins with preparing a good "dashi", stock or broth. There are "vegetarian dashi", "fish dashi", and "awase dashi", a combination of the two.

"Kombu" or kelp seaweed and dried shiitake mushrooms are the two common dashi ingredients in Buddhist vegetarian cooking.

Recipe:

30g of dried dashi kombu

30g of dried shiitake mushrooms

1L of water

Soak the kombu and shiitake at least for 10 hours before using.

This is kombu and shiitake soaked in water.

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The stock can keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days. The kombu and shiitake are also used in cooking.

Unlike Western bouillon (French) or broth (English) where meat, fish, or poultry and spices are simmered, Japanese dashi is prepared just by soaking the kombu/shiitake in water or heated just briefly.

Konbu

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                shiitake

                                      

However, many other dried ingredients are used as dashi to enhance the flavor of the vegetables.

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Dried shiitake mushrooms, enokidake mushrooms,  and trumpet mushrooms

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Dried vegetables, such as dried daikon radish is also a good source of dashi.

Zucchini from the garden is dried in different forms.

Minced, or in strips. This adds great flavor.

Today, many people use ready-made dashi in the form of liquid, granules or powder.

You should be aware, however, that these packaged dashi may contain additives and MSG.

The taste of natural vegetarian dashi flavor may be subtle compared with western bouillon, but it is all about enhancing the flavor of other ingredients.  You will notice the flavor of each individual ingredient as well as one harmonized flavor.

Good dashi makes everything taste good♪