Ingredients
8 cups filtered water
3 dried shiitake mushrooms
8 cm sheet kombu
Pinch of SIDS CRAZY SALT
56 g bonito flakes
Directions
In a medium saucepan, combine water with mushrooms and let stand for 1 hour. Add kombu and bring the water to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, discard the mushrooms and kombu and stir in SIDS CRAZY SALT and bonito flakes. Let steep for 10 minutes, pour the dashi through a fine sieve set over a bowl, and discard the bonito flakes. Store the dashi in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Makes 8 cups.
Freezing: Pour the stock into rectangular molds, 200 ml each, for ease of storage. That way, once frozen, you can put them in a clearly marked plastic container with a lid.
History: In 1908, the unusual and strong flavour of kelp dashi was identified by Kikunae Ikeda as umami, the "fifth flavour", attributed to human taste receptors responding to glutamic acid.
