Dashi is Japanese soup stock that is a fundamental ingredient in many Japanese dishes to create authentic flavor. Today, I want to share how to make Kombu Dashi (昆布だし), a vegetarian and vegan soup stock that is the easiest dashi that you can make!
What is Kombu Dashi?
Kombu Dashi (昆布だし) is a Japanese soup stock made with kombu (昆布, dried kelp). Kombu is used extensively in Japanese, Korean, and Chinese cooking. In Korean, it is referred to as dasima (다시마), and in Chinese as haidai (海带). This sea vegetable earns its name as “the king of seaweeds” because it possesses an amazing flavor and nutritional value, unlike any other seaweed. The most noteworthy advantage is its high content of glutamic acid, an amino acid responsible for umami. And umami is what you’re looking for in a dish where it provides a complex, elemental taste. If you follow a vegetarian/vegan diet or simply want to embrace a more plant-based diet, kombu is an outstanding ingredient to incorporate into your cooking. Besides being a great flavor enhancer and tenderizer, kombu is a powerful, health-promoting food that can make up for certain nutrients that are absent in the diets. In my pantry kombu page, I discuss different types of kombu and which kombu is good for specific types of dishes. Please go over the post if you want to know more about how to use kombu for Japanese cooking. You can find it at Japanese and Asian grocery stores.
Ingredients You’ll Need
It takes just two ingredients to make this essential soup stock:
kombu – dried kelp seaweed water
How to Make Kombu Dashi: Two Methods
Method 1: Cold Brew
The cold brew method known as mizudashi (水出し) is pretty hands-off. All you need is to put water and 1–2 kombu strips in a large bottle and let it steep for 2–3 hours or more.
Method 2: Hot Brew
If you need dashi right away, the hot brew or nidashi (煮出し) method is the one to use: Just place the kombu and water in a medium pot and gently bring out the flavor. Turn off the heat just before it comes to a boil and remove the kelp.
Tips on Cooking with Kombu
Recipes Using Kombu Dashi
Try these recipes that use kombu dashi stock for a flavorful broth:
Shabu Shabu (hot pot with vegetables, tofu, meat, mushrooms, and udon noodles) Mizutaki (Chicken Hot Pot) Mizore Nabe (Hot Pot with Grated Daikon) Vegan Miso Soup Japanese Vegetable Soup (Kenchinjiru) Clear Clam Soup (Ushiojiru) Tomato and Tofu Miso Soup
If you can’t access kombu, another delicious option for vegetarian/vegan dashi is Shiitake Dashi.
The Ultimate Dashi Guide
Dashi plays an important role as a flavor enhancer in Japanese cooking, so you don’t need to season the food with too much salt, fat, and sugar. Rich in minerals and other vitamins, dashi is considered a healthy ingredient in our daily diet. Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram. If you are new to different types of dashi, check out my Ultimate Dashi Guide. Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in February 2013. The images have been updated in April 2019.
