Wipe konbu with a damp cloth,
place in a saucepan with 675 ml water and leave to soak for about 1
hour.
Heat uncovered, over medium heat
for about 10 minutes, removing konbu just before reaching boiling
point so it retains its subtle flavour.
If the thickest part of the konbu
is still hard, return it to the pan for a few more minutes, adding a
little water to prevent it boiling .
Reserve konbu.
Add 25 g of the hana-katsuo to the
pan.
Bring back to the boil (do not
stir) and immediately remove from the heat.
Using a tablespoon or ladle,
remove foam from the surface and leave to stand for a few minutes
until the hana-katsuo settles down to the bottom of pan.
Strain liquid through a sieve
lined with muslin and reserve hana-katsuo.
This dashi (known as first dashi)
is good for clear soups; however, for strongly flavored soups,
noodle broths and simmering, second dashi is used.
To make second dashi, put reserved
konbu and hana-katsuo in a saucepan with 675 ml water and bring to
the boil.
Lower the heat and simmer,
uncovered, for 10-15 minutes until dashi is reduced by one third.
Add the last 15 kg hana-katsuo and
remove from heat.
Skim off foam, leave to stand and
strain as for first dashi.
Serves 4
For instant dashi, mix dashi-no-moto
(freeze dried dashi powder) with water.