Ok this was an exciting night in the Hungry Texans kitchen- our foray into dashi!  The classic Japanese seafood stock is the base of so many dishes, including one notorious cure for an annoying cold… miso soup.  I’m not going to lie, I thought of dashi as the japanese equivalent of chicken stock, but it’s quite different.  It’s smoky and earthy and tastes (and smells) like the sea.

It’s also quite easy to make, if you have a bit of time.  The miso soup, from start to finish, took about 1 hour to make.  So pop open a bottle of sake and get cookin’!

for the dashi, you’ll need: 

3 quarts cold water

3 kombu stalks

1 handful bonito flakes

for the miso soup, you’ll need:

2 quarts dashi

1 quart water

1/4 cup white miso paste

1/2 cup scallions

1 cup shitake mushrooms

1 block tofu

2 cups kale

Start your dashi by filling a large pan with cold water.  Add your kombu stalks and bring to a boil.  Once the water is boiling, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes of simmering, add your bonito flakes.  Stir and bring to a boil.  When the whole mixture reaches a boil, turn the stove off.

Drain the dashi through a colander. Alright, you’re ready for Top Chef!

To start your miso soup, add your dashi to a soup pot.  Add your miso paste and stir until it has dissolved.  Throw in sliced shitake mushrooms & scallions, sliced thin.  De-stalk your lovely kale and chop it into small-ish pieces.  You can add the kale directly or blanch it quickly first.

If you are making dashi with the hopes of turning it into miso soup, then slice your tofu and let it drain onto paper towels while your making the dashi.  Then, slice into small cubes and add it to the miso pot.

Ok, now are you ready?  This is the hardest part.  Stir it once and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat.  Then, you’re done.

xoxo,

the hungry texans