homeade dashi

Who knew making dashi could be so simple to make? No more using instant dashi powder. Good dashi is the key to a plethora of Japanese dishes. This opens up a new realm of cooking for me. The best thing is there's only 3 ingredients needed for basic dashi. I'm all for minimalist cooking! Basic Dashi Ingredients: Dried kelp (10 x 6 inches) Bonito flakes (1 cup) Water (8 cups) 1) In a pot, soak kelp in water for 30 minutes. 2) Once soaked, bring the water to a boil. Instantly remove the kelp. 3) Throw in the bonito flakes and let sit for 20 minutes on low heat. Drain. There you have it! Add some miso paste, cubed tofu, and seaweed, and you've just made homemade miso soup sans the sweat. With the dashi, I also ended up making Oyako Donburi (Oyakodon) which is a Japanese dish comprised of chicken and egg over rice. Itadakimasu!