Kosher japanese soup stock (dashi)

1 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
Makes 1 Quart

Directions

If you intend to get serious about Japanese cooking, let me introduce you to "dashi", the base used for most Japanese soups and some seasonings. (Chicken broth flavored with ginger root is also used in Japan, but doesn't have the smokey taste associated with dashi). Made from dried seaweed and dried bonito flakes, dashi is sweet and smokey but bland. Bonito, related to tuna, is a fish that can be used in the kosher kitchen, but the packaged dried flakes are not certified kosher, so for the one-half to three-quarter cup of bonito flakes usually used in making dashi, the skin of smoked whitefish is used in this recipe. For meat dishes, use a vegetarian broth with the seaweed, and omit the whitefish skin. The seaweed sees a double use in Japanese kitchens for after it flavors the dashi it is cut into pieces and used as a vegetable in other dishes. 1 ea Piece Dried Seaweed (4 X 8 inches) 4 c Cold Water x Skin of ½ pound smoked whitefish; rinsed under cold water In a 2-quart pot, combine the seaweed and the water. Cover the pot, bring the water to the boil over high heat, remove the pot from the heat, and immediately remove the softened seaweed. The water will now have a slightly sweet, salty, smokey, and faint vegetable taste. Add the smoked whitefish skin, and allow the skin to remain in the soup for 2 minutes. Remove the whitefish skin. Line a colander or strainer with paper towels, set the colander or strainer over a bowl, strain the broth through the paper towels. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freezing is not recommended because the delicate taste of the stock may be lost.

From: International Cooking For The Kosher Home By: Betty S. Goldberg Submitted By SAM LEFKOWITZ On 11-13-94

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