Dashi

[torakris]

two weeks for refrigerated dashi seems quite long, most recipes I have seen say only 2 to 3 days...

[helenjp]

Sure that's not a misprint for "two days"? Unseasoned Kombu and kombu dashi tend to spoil very fast.

[EdS]

two weeks for refrigerated dashi seems quite long, most recipes I have seen say only 2 to 3 days...

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I just double-checked my book, thinking I made a typo, and it really does say two weeks. I totally agree with you. This must be an error, unless this is a recipe for fermented dashi! I wouldn't even use chicken stock after several days unless it was either frozen or boiled, and I wouldn't even be happy with doing the latter.

BTW, I just returned from the Japanese grocery store. I bought some Pocky for the first time. I've already eaten two boxes in 30 minutes. Someone save me from this.

[Hiroyuki]

but the smallers ones they keep intact and most of the women actually keep them in the soup and they are eaten along with the other things in the soup.

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This is exactly how my mother used to make miso soup. I guess my mother ate most of them.

[Hiroyuki]

Has anyone tried ago dashi before? Ago is a local name for tobi uo (flying fish). Ago dashi is made from dried ago like these:

http://www.rakuten.co.jp/g-manten/479658/

Last year, I bought a bottle of ago dashi men tsuyu (noodle soup) for the first time. It was MSG-free. But when I tasted it, I didn't find it particularly good. I think I had been too accustomed to the acute taste of instant dashi to enjoy the subtle taste of ago dashi.

I have tried to lead an MSG-free life several times in the past, but to no avail.

[torakris]

I have never used ago dashi, occasionally I have seen recipes that called for it, but I haven't been able to find it. Though I admit I wasn't looking REALLY hard....

[Anna N]

I grabbed this on a dash through the supermarket thinking it was instant dashi but now I have doubts. The directions are pretty useless, saying for Miso Soup (fo 8-10 servings use 2 teaspoons. Since I have no idea what would be considered a serving, I am lost. Is this instant dashi or something else? How would I use it. Many thanks.

P.S. My aim was to make miso soup.

[chibirisu]

That's dashi granules - the Japanese in the red area says Shimaya dashi no moto; it's like bouillon only in grain form instead of a block. In other words, yeah, you can put it in miso soup. (You'll need miso too, of course.)

Happy eating!

[Anna N]

That's dashi granules - the Japanese in the red area says Shimaya dashi no moto; it's like bouillon only in grain form instead of a block. In other words, yeah, you can put it in miso soup. (You'll need miso too, of course.)

Happy eating!

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Thanks - do you know the appropriate proportion of granules to water?

[chibirisu]

That's dashi granules - the Japanese in the red area says Shimaya dashi no moto; it's like bouillon only in grain form instead of a block. In other words, yeah, you can put it in miso soup. (You'll need miso too, of course.)

Happy eating!

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Thanks - do you know the appropriate proportion of granules to water?

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I tend to think of a serving as between a cup and a cup and a half of water, so I start with that as a calculating base for their ratios -- but then I also tend to taste-test it before adding the miso (get the water hot, add dashi, taste-test and add more dashi or water as needed, then add the miso).

I really should be organized enough to measure one of these days, but it seems like every brand's got a slightly different strength...

[Anna N]

That's dashi granules - the Japanese in the red area says Shimaya dashi no moto; it's like bouillon only in grain form instead of a block. In other words, yeah, you can put it in miso soup. (You'll need miso too, of course.)

Happy eating!

←

Thanks - do you know the appropriate proportion of granules to water?

←

I tend to think of a serving as between a cup and a cup and a half of water, so I start with that as a calculating base for their ratios -- but then I also tend to taste-test it before adding the miso (get the water hot, add dashi, taste-test and add more dashi or water as needed, then add the miso).

I really should be organized enough to measure one of these days, but it seems like every brand's got a slightly different strength...

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Thank you.

[sanrensho]

The Shimaya site recommends about a gram of granules for each serving of miso soup. (One serving=Enough to fill a typical Japanese miso bowl.) However, the real answer is to mix to taste, by trying the dashi before mixing in the miso.

http://www.shimaya.co.jp/lineup/dasinomoto.html

[Anna N]

The Shimaya site recommends about a gram of granules for each serving of miso soup. (One serving=Enough to fill a typical Japanese miso bowl.) However, the real answer is to mix to taste, by trying the dashi before mixing in the miso.

http://www.shimaya.co.jp/lineup/dasinomoto.html

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I really appreciate your effort to help me out. Unfortunately "to taste" only works for those familiar with a cuisine and the same with "a typical miso bowl". I must appear to be quite silly but I suspect that a Japanese person would have equal difficulty with "season to taste with salt and pepper" and "serves 4". But I really do appreciate all efforts to answer my rather dumb question.

[torakris]

Anna,

I just measured my Japanese soup bowl and it holds about 3/4 cup of liquid so I would use about a teaspoon per 3 cups of water.

In miso soup you really don't taste the dashi, actually if you DO taste the dashi there is way too much. You can also make very decent miso soups without the dashi especially if you are using seafood or meats and in most of these cases I wouldn't recommend dashi as the flavors would be "complicated" and most of Japanese food is about the simpleness of flavors.

Don't forget to post your pictures/comments after you make it!

[sanrensho]

Anna,

I just measured my Japanese soup bowl and it holds about 3/4 cup of liquid so I would use about a teaspoon per 3 cups of water.

Just to make things more confusing, are you refering to Japanese cups (200 ml) or Western cups (250 ml)?

Anna, I don't think your question is silly at all. I say "to taste" because there probably isn't a home cook anywhere in Japan who actually measures the granules for their dashi. But it also means that everybody makes their dashi slightly differently and to different strengths, again based on personal preference. It isn't unusual for members of a household to disagree on how miso soup should taste. It happens at our house all the time.

In short, I think you should make it the way you like it. If in doubt, try the dashi at several different strengths and see how you like it in the finished product.

[jayt90]

  My aim was to make miso soup.

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Anna, I have bought this product in a Korean mart in Toronto, and I have found it to be fairly strong.

For a litre of water, I'll add a tablespoon of granules, 2T miso, and a handful (maybe 8oz., loose, of seaweed. Stir, and bring to a simmer, then strain. None of the three flavours should be dominant. That's why no one here can give you absolutely specific directions, but the broth is tolerant of some error! It will keep for several days in the fridge if not all of it is used.

I have had better luck with bonito shavings, but they are more costly.

Edited October 17, 2005 by jayt90 (log)

[torakris]

Anna,

I just measured my Japanese soup bowl and it holds about 3/4 cup of liquid so I would use about a teaspoon per 3 cups of water.

Just to make things more confusing, are you refering to Japanese cups (200 ml) or Western cups (250 ml)?

Anna, I don't think your question is silly at all. I say "to taste" because there probably isn't a home cook anywhere in Japan who actually measures the granules for their dashi. But it also means that everybody makes their dashi slightly differently and to different strengths, again based on personal preference. It isn't unusual for members of a household to disagree on how miso soup should taste. It happens at our house all the time.

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When I say cup I am referring the the American 250ml...

it gets so confusing doesn't it? especially when you add in that a "cup" of rice in Japan is only 180ml....

[Anna N]

Thank you Kristin, sanrensho and jayt90.

I really need one or all of you at my side in the kitchen! I find it doubly challenging to attempt a cuisine when I don't travel and rarely eat out! But, I still want to sample some dishes. Without a base of comparison, it is truly challenging.

No, it's not miso soup! Family flipped my schedule this week and I had to do some fast stepping to move planned meals around! (Miso soup would not a meal make in this house.)

This is a Japanese? Beef Stew based on a recipe in epicurious.com.

Japanese Beef Stew

Unfortunately, I did not take any photos when it was freshly made so these are the leftovers - not quite as attractive as it was first time around. As an aside, I had Japanese stew simmering on one burner while a meat sauce for Wednesday's lasagne simmered on another!

I really had no clue how to trim the carrots according the directions in the recipe so I simply peeled off the sharp edges where the carrots were cut. The potatoes were small enough that I did not feel any trimming was needed.

We both enjoyed this whether or not it has any relationship to a real Japanese stew. It made the point of simplicity compared to, for instance, a French or Belgian style stew.

Once again, I thank you all for your help and hope I did not come across as whiny!

Edited to add link to actual recipe.

Edited October 18, 2005 by Anna N (log)

[jayt90]

Thank you Kristin, sanrensho and jayt90.

I really need one or all of you at my side in the kitchen!  I find it doubly challenging to attempt a cuisine when I don't travel and rarely eat out!  But, I still want to sample some dishes.  Without a base of comparison, it is truly challenging.

 

Once again, I thank you all for your help and hope I did not come across as whiny!

Edited to add link to actual recipe.

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No, not whiny, just curious, as I waswhen I heard about healthy, long-lived Okinawans two years ago, and soon found out that Japanese on the main island had many health advantages over the rest of us.

I borrowed an excellent book from the library,

The Japanese Kitchen

by Hiroko Shimbo

The Harvard Common Press, 2000

If you can borrow a copy, or find one locally, it will be a great help.

...jay

[torakris]

Anna, it looks great! I can't say I have ever seen or eaten anything like that here though. I haven't been everywhere though!

It looks like a chunky version of niku-jyaga that I taught in my first eGCI class (first recipe)

[Anna N]

...

I borrowed an excellent book from the library,

The Japanese Kitchen

by Hiroko Shimbo

The Harvard Common Press, 2000

If you can borrow a copy, or find one locally, it will be a great help.

...jay

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Thanks! I will see if I can find a copy.

[Anna N]

Anna, it looks great! I can't say I have ever seen or eaten anything like that here though. I haven't been everywhere though!

It looks like a chunky version of niku-jyaga that I taught in my first eGCI class (first recipe)

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I KNEW you had posted a recipe for a beef stew Japanese style but could not for the life of me figure out where is was! Thanks. I will review that whole course and try your version which looks very, very tasty.

[helenjp]

Hey, now that Spring is here and Dolls' Festival is past, the hamaguri are getting cheaper and the clams are back in town...when I make a clear soup I always include the juices because they are so tasty, but it does tend to make the broth slightly cloudy.

What do you guys do for a special occasion clear soup with hamaguri or clams? Sacrifice the flavor, or the clarity of the broth?

Just wondering.

[Hiroyuki]

Hey, now that Spring is here and Dolls' Festival is past, the hamaguri are getting cheaper and the clams are back in town...when I make a clear soup I always include the juices because they are so tasty, but it does tend to make the broth slightly cloudy.

What do you guys do for a special occasion clear soup with hamaguri or clams? Sacrifice the flavor, or the clarity of the broth?

Just wondering.

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How do you make clear soup?

My wife's recipe is quite simple. Just put hamaguri in a pot, add cold water, bring to a boil, and add some salt and soy sauce. No dashi for hamaguri clear soup.

You call the broth 'cloudy', but isn't that what hamaguri clear soup should be like?

[torakris]

I have never made a clam soup that wasn't cloudy....

This was my most recent one from about 10 days ago

I never really thought about it until now but I am assuming the ones I have had in restaurants that are clear have been made by adding the already cooked shellfish to a clear broth. At home I will go for the one with a better taste.