Serves six
 
8 -
Fresh Prawns  
1.5 L -
Dashi  
3 -
Spring onions  
200 g -
Firm tofu  
Splash -
Light soy sauce  
to taste -
Sea salt  

 
  1. Prepare spring onions (see notes on dashi).

 
  2. Clean and trim prawns from shell, dice tofu into 1cm squares.
   
  3. Bring dashi to the boil and season with light soy until a deep amber colour appears, finish seasoning with salt.
   
 

1. Clean all dirt from the mushrooms with a brush or a cloth. Chop finely or roughly. In a big pan on a medium to high heat melt the butter and add the mushrooms.
 
  2. Cook until mushrooms are 1/3 of their original size.
 

 

 3. Add the dashi and simmer for about 15 minutes.
   
  4. Season with a splash of soy sauce and finish with salt.
   
Serves six
 
400 g -

Wild or Field mushrooms (Wild have more flavour)

  
1.5 L -
Dashi  
50 g -
Butter  
Splash -
Light soy sauce  
3 -
Spring onions or chives  
to taste -
Sea salt  
     
I first appreciated the earthy, aromatic subtlety of dashi while working with Japanese chefs at Nobu. Dashi is Japanese fish stock made, as a rule, from dried Kombu seaweed and dried bonito flakes. (Bonito is a fish of the mackerel family. see tips.)
We serve dashi in the restaurant as an inter-mezzo broth with purple shiso cress, shaved black truffle and spring onions thrown in just before serving.
Seasoned with salt and light soy as a clear broth with a bowl of rice or used as a base for a more involved dish it is extremely healthy, delicious and versatile. Once you see the full benefits and pleasure of this most basic of Japanese preparations, you’ll wonder why you hadn’t known about this one before.
Dashi can also be made with Dried shrimps (niboshi) or shitake mushrooms instead of bonito (katsuobushi).
 
1.5 L -
Water  
2 -
inches square Dried kombu seaweed  
50 g -
Bonito flakes  
     
 

 

1. In a medium sized pan bring the water with the kombu slowly to the boil, to extract the most flavour from the seaweed. Do not boil.
 
  2. Just as the water is about to boil, remove the kombu from the water (If left to boil the kombu will ‘cook’ and cloud your perfectly clear broth and impart too much seaweed flavour).
 

 

 3. While the water is still coming to the boil add the bonito flakes and immediately turn the heat off.
   
  4. Leave to stand for about 20mins; the flakes will drop to the bottom of the pot indicating that the dashi is ready to be strained through a meshed strainer.
   
  5. You have now made dashi.
   
 
 
 
Note on Dashi
   
  Clear bonito broth - The simplest way to make a soup or clear broth from dashi is to season by adding light soy sauce until golden brown and sea salt to taste. (see tips for notes on light soy). N.B. when adding sea salt wait till it is completely dissolved before thinking of adding more.
   
  Spring onions are very good with dashi based clear soups. Prepare these early. Chop finely into rings and rinse in a colander under cold running water for an hour to wash away the heat and over powering onion kick.
   
  Serve dashi broth on its own or with steamed Japanese rice or add noodles (e.g. somen, udon or soba).
   
  Add prawns, tofu and spring onions to the broth and leave to stand for a few minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve.
 
 
  Pour into bowl and top with spring onions (for preparation see notes on dashi) or chives and serve.
Any vegetable can be used to make this soup with a dashi base.
 
 

1. Prepare spring onions (see notes on dashi).
 
  2. Dice chicken, slice shitake mushrooms and Bring dashi to boil and turn to a low heat.
 

 

 3. Add light soy until broth takes on a golden brown colour.
   
  4. Drop chicken and mushrooms in and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt.
   
Serves six
 
2 -

breasts Chicken

 
10 -
Shitake mushrooms  
1.5 L -
Dashi  
6 -
Spring onions  
100 g -
Bean Shoots  
2 tblsp -
Light soy sauce  
to taste -
Sea salt  
     
  Finish with bean shoots and spring onions. Pour into bowls and serve.
 
Recipes by David Selex
Head Chef, The Sugar Club