Food Recipes Soups Mushroom Soups Shiitake Dashi A gentle steep is the best way to coax the sweet umami from the kombu and shiitakes in this all-purpose dashi. By Paige Grandjean Paige Grandjean Paige Grandjean is a food editor, recipe developer, and food stylist with over seven years of experience in food media. Her work has appeared in more than 15 nationally distributed publications, award-winning cookbooks, and digital platforms. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines and Mary-Frances Heck Mary-Frances Heck Mary-Frances Heck is a chef and food editor, formerly a senior food editor at Food & Wine. In addition to her recipes and articles appearing in many well-known publications, she has her own cookbook, “Sweet Potatoes: Roasted, Loaded, Fried and Made into Pie.” Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on August 11, 2026 Save Rate PRINT Share Close Credit: Food & Wine / Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Cook Time: 30 mins Active Time: 20 mins Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Yield: 4 cups Jump to recipe This versatile dashi makes a flavorful base for soups, sauces, and other Japanese dishes, or can be enjoyed on its own.Dried shiitakes and kombu create a broth with deep umami and earthy flavor.Gently heating the dashi without letting it simmer coaxes out sweet, savory flavor while preventing bitterness. Deeply savory, dashi is a Japanese broth with a history spanning more than a thousand years. For good reason, too — this versatile broth can be used in just about every cooking application. Naturally, it makes an excellent soup base, but it can also replace water when cooking grains, steaming eggs, or even marinating. Dashi’s remarkable depth comes from a few key ingredients. Kombu, or dried kelp, contains glutamic acid, which contributes umami, the so-called fifth taste. Dried shiitake mushrooms lend earthy depth, while bonito flakes, though optional here, contain inosinate, a compound that works synergistically with the glutamic acid in kombu to create an especially rich umami flavor. How to make use of your finished dashi Sip it, soup it, stir it in — there are endless ways to use dashi. Beyond flavoring classic miso soup, dashi makes an excellent marinade for vegetables and mild meats, a flavorful base for sauces and cooked grains, or a comforting broth to sip on its own. Where to find a donabe Most specialty cookware shops and Japanese grocery stores sell donabe, but if you can’t find one in person, there are plenty available online. If you need a substitute, use a ceramic Dutch oven. Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Making dashi requires keeping a close eye on the pot, especially as it heats. If kombu is brought to a boil, it can release bitter compounds and make the finished broth slightly slimy. For the cleanest flavor, heat the liquid gently and keep it below a simmer. Keep Screen Awake Ingredients 1/2x 1x 2x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. 6 cups water 1 1/2 ounces dried shiitake mushroom caps (about 2 1/2 cups, or 22 caps), rinsed well 1 ounce dried kombu (about 1 [9-inch] square, halved) 1 ounce dried smoked bonito flakes (katsuobushi) (about 3 cups) (optional) Directions Combine 6 cups water, shiitakes, and kombu in a 3-quart classic-style donabe. Let stand for 30 minutes. Heat mixture, uncovered, over medium-low until steaming but not simmering (about 140°F), about 10 minutes. Cook 15 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to prevent simmering. Using a slotted spoon or spider, remove and discard kombu. Stir in dried smoked bonito flakes, if using, and continue cooking over medium-low until flavors are infused, dashi has a light smoky flavor, and liquid has reduced to about 4 cups, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat; pour through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a bowl, reserving shiitakes for another use. Make ahead Dashi can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to three days. Originally appeared: March 2020 Cook this recipe and more in the MyRecipes app. Get the App Save Rate Print Loading shell for RecipesUgcThreaded1 Vue component in Globe.