Dashi is Japanese soup stock that’s a fundamental ingredient in Japanese cuisine to create umami. Japanese stocks are often made with fish like dried bonito flakes or iriko/niboshi (dried anchovies). However, there are plant-based options that you can use, too. Today, I want to share how to make Shiitake Dashi (干し椎茸の戻し汁/椎茸のだし) for use in vegan/vegetarian recipes. I will show you how to rehydrate dried shiitake mushrooms for other recipes and repurpose the soaking liquid as a soup stock for cooking.
What is Shiitake Dashi?
Shiitake Dashi (干し椎茸の戻し汁/椎茸のだし) is the liquid created from rehydrating dried shiitake mushrooms in water. Instead of regular vegetable broth, we use Kombu Dashi and Shiitake Dashi as the only vegetarian and vegan stock in Japanese cooking. These soup stocks allow you to cook authentic Japanese dishes without sacrificing flavor.
Shiitake Dashi for Vegetarians and Vegans
Shiitake Dashi is considered a by-product of reconstituting dried shiitake mushrooms. We use only a small amount of water for rehydrating, so the resulting stock has a very strong and concentrated flavor. Since the soaking liquid has good nutrients and flavor, we never throw it away and try to find a use for it in cooking. We usually combine the liquid with other kinds of dashi to enhance flavor and add umami. However, we rarely used shiitake dashi on its own. Since I moved to the US, I learned that a lot of vegetarians and vegans here use diluted shiitake dashi (the soaking liquid) as a vegetarian/vegan-friendly stock in their Japanese cooking.
Intense and Strong Shiitake Flavor
In Japan, kombu dashi is by far the most commonly used dashi for vegetarian/vegan cooking. That’s because shiitake dashi’s intense flavor often overwhelms subtle Japanese seasonings. However, if you enjoy the deep and rich taste of shiitake dashi, you can use this soaking liquid exclusively for stock to cook Japanese food. Please note that we can only use dried shiitake mushrooms to make stock because fresh shiitake mushrooms lack the same intense flavor profile.
Tips To Get the Best Flavor from Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
Good dried shiitake mushrooms are expensive, but the flavors and texture are amazing. Oita prefecture (大分県) in the Kyushu region is known for the best-quality dried shiitake mushrooms. Follow these tips to extract the best flavor from this precious ingredient:
How To Make Shiitake Dashi
In this recipe, I‘ll show you how to make two types of shiitake dashi: a typical concentrated stock and a diluted stock. I include both the typical method (a few hours or overnight) and the quick method (15 minutes).
Concentrated Stock (Typical Method)
Diluted Stock
Japanese Soup Stock for Vegetarian Cooking
Shiitake dashi stores well in the refrigerator for 2–3 days and up to 1 month in the freezer, so you can prepare your stock ahead of time. That way, you’ll always have dashi on hand whenever you make miso soup or noodle soups. Try these vegetarian and vegan-friendly recipes that use dashi:
Vegetarian Ramen Vegan Miso Soup Spinach Ohitashi (Japanese Spinach Salad) Kenchinjiru (clear soup with root vegetables and tofu) Kitsune Udon
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 March 2015. The images and recipe have been updated in April 2019.
