Vegan dashi is a stock that forms the basis for so many japanese recipes. Dishes like Konji, Oden, Ramen, miso and soba (to name a few) all require a dashi to be brewed so that the flavours are well bedded in. For our fish loving friends, dashi is often made using bonito fish powder mixed with hot water but for most of our vegan recipes we use kombu, and/or dried shiitake mushrooms steeped in hot water.
This kombu and shiitake dashi is used for a huge variety of vegan japanese dishes. It is essential for making your miso soup, konji, soba, ramen, tempura sauce, and many other dishes. Once you've made it a few times it'll be something you'll do without thinking. Just adjust the quantities depending on the volume you'll need.
You'll need this recipe for lots of my other recipes including my easy vegan miso soup.
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Ingredients
Vegan Dashi ingredients
Makes 4 cups | Prep time 5 minutes | Cooking time 30 minutes
- 2 x (6 x 2 inch) pieces of kombu
- 3 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 4 cups of water
Instructions
- Step 1: Add the kombu and shitake to a saucepan and add the water.
- Heat over a low heat and simmer for about 30 minutes (do not boil).
- Step 3: Take out the shitake and kombu and store these in an airtight container.
- Step 4: Your dashi is ready to use for your upcoming recipe!
Hint: Keep an eye on this during the heating process. Make sure to simmer gently and take extra care not to boil the ingredients to save yourself from burning them and destroying the subtle umami-rich flavours.
Substitutions for vegan dashi
- If you're needing to save time you can substitute the kombu with kombu dashi powder so instead of brewing the dried ingredients just add this powder to your simmering water a few moments before adding your other ingredients.
- You can substitute the shiitake mushrooms with dried porcini mushrooms if you're struggling to find the former. Otherwise leave the mushrooms out completely and just go with a simple kombu stock. In this case I would suggest using double to kombu abd simmering it for at least an hour to bring out more of the umami flavours.
Variations
If I'm in a real rush and/or need a fuller flavour I will mix in a teaspoon of kombu dashi powder to the simmering stock to create a stronger base. This is an easy way of making things more flavorsome but (word of advice) be careful as a lot of these powders may contain additives like sugar and msg depending on the brand.
Storage
You may store the dashi in an air-tight container and refridgerate for up to 4-5 days.
I often keep the extracted pieces of shiitake and kombu for use at a later date. Add to miso soups, stews or gyoza dumplings as required.
Top tip
Don't rush this. I would say a 30 min simmering time is an absolute minimum. Often I will brew the stock for longer before using.
(For the love of dashi!) Do your best not bring the elements to the boil as you will scorch the flavours. One must be very gentle with these ingredients to conserve the subtle aromas.
Vegan dashi FAQs
Not all dashi powders are vegan. Look for kombu dashi powder and double check the ingredients. The most famous brand is "Shimaya".
The minimum ingredients needed for the dashi are kombu seaweed and dried shiitake mushrooms. I included some mixed dried mushrooms to round out the flavor and some nori seaweed to lend a bit more sea flavor. The last two are nice-to-haves but not necessary.
A member of the kelp family, kombu is a seaweed that makes for a versatile pantry ingredient, providing dishes with umami flavor, nutrients, and minerals. While most kombu comes from Hokkaidō, Japan, it is also cultivated in Korea, where it is known as dashima, and China, where it is known as haidai.
Dashi - is a light Japanese stock that is thin like a broth and made from simmering dried tuna flakes, kombu seaweed, shitake mushrooms or a combination of them. As a swap out, a light vegetable stock can be used if you cannot get hold of the ingredients.
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with [this recipe]:
📖 Recipe
Vegan Dashi
Ingredients
- 2 x 6 by 2 inch pieces kombu
- 2-3 whole shittake mushrooms
- 4 cups water
Instructions
- Add the kombu and shittake to a saucepan and add the water
- Heat over a low heat and simmer for about 30 minutes (do not boil)
- Take out the shittake and kombu and store these in an airtight container
- Your dashi is ready to use for your upcoming recipe
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