Dashi ― The secret of Japanese cuisine
Although Japanese cuisine is rich in diversity and visually attractive, there is one element underlying its appeal that is not apparent to the eye. This is a deceptively simple element called 'dashi', the stock that forms the basis of, and invisibly permeates much of, Japanese cuisine.
Dashi differs from other kinds of stock in that, rather than using simple ingredients boiled over a long period, as is the case with Western bouillon, it uses carefully prepared ingredients, patiently matured which are only soaked in water or heated briefly so as to extract nothing but the very essence of the ingredients' flavor.
Dashi most commonly utilizes a combination of
kombu (kelp) and
katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), but other ingredients used to make dashi are
shiitake mushrooms and
niboshi (small dried fish). Dashi making has evolved over long period of time. Boiling is known to have been used in Japanese cooking since the Jomon period (13,000 - 300BC), and the stock from shellfish and fish-bones was used to flavor other dishes. By the seventh century a dashi using
kombu and
katsuobushi had developed This was refined further and has become Japan's most indispensible cooking stock, generally used in two forms -
ichiban (primary) dashi and
niban (secondary) dashi.
Despite its hidden role, dashi could be said to be the heart of Japanese cuisine, not because of the prominence of its own flavor, but because of the way it enhances and harmonizes the flavors of other ingredients. The secret of Japanese cuisine is this art of enhancing and harmonizing.
Umami - The key to dashi's taste
A single word holds the key to the magic of dashi - umami.
In 1908, Prof. Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo Imperial University discovered a taste in
kombu dashi not accounted for by any combination of the basic taste of sweet salty, bitter and sour. He identified the source of this taste as glutamate. The taste itself he dubbed 'umami' , generally translated as 'savoriness'.
In 1913 and 1957 there followed the discovery of inosinate and guanylate respectively as sources of umami. Since the 1980s, further research has led to a wide international acceptance of umaｍi as the fifth taste. The ingredients of dashi are all rich in the substances that are the source of umami.
Kombu has the highest natural levels of glutamate of any foodstuff in the world.
Katsuobushi and
niboshi contain high levels of inosinate, and dried
shiitake mushrooms of guanylate. The benefits of umami are multiple. As well as being the fifth basic taste, it has a synergistic effect. When two sources of umami are combined, the umami taste is boosted, producing a result greater than the sum of the ingredients. Umami also serves to enhance other taste, bringing a satisfying fullness and freshness to the food it permeates.
Ichiban Dashi
Kombu + Katsuobushi | |
| The most dedicated and fraglant flavored dashi pale in color | |
Niban Dashi
Kombu + Katsuobushi | |
| Intensely flavored dashi; made using the leftovers from ichiban dashi | |
Niboshi Dashi
Niboshi(Dried Baby Sardines) | |
| A strong-tasting dashi with a hint of bitterness | |
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| Two distinct types one is madeby soaking the kombu and has acomplex flavor,the other is made by heating the kombu and is highly aromatic | |
Shojin Dashi
Kombu + Dried Shiitake Mushrooms | |
| Most commonly made from kombu and dried shiitake mushrooms | |
Ichiban Dashi Ichiban dashi has a delicate flavor and an exquisite aroma. It should be made just before it is needed rather than in advance and served the moment it is ready in order to capitalize on its full, delicious aroma.
Ichiban dashi is used mainly in dishes for which fragrance is of the utmost importance - clear soups and broths in particular. Here is a basic recipe for
ichiban dashi. Chef Takashi Tamura of Tsukiji Tamura, Tokyo, uses ma-
kombu but other varieties of
kombu; such as Rishiri
kombu and Hidaka
kombu also available. Actually, Japanese chefs have their favorite recipes for their dashi.
