Easy to make dashi stock

Dashi is used in a variety of Japanese dishes including my favourite - miso soup. Fortunately, its not that difficult tomake. Just follow these easy instruction.

Ingredients

• Piece of kombu (5 x 2 inches)
• Packet of bonito flakes (about 30 grams)
• 3 1/2 cups of water

Method

Clean the kombu - With a slightly damp cloth remove any dirt from the kelp. Don't wash off the white powder. It contains most of the delicate flavour.

1. Place 3 1/2 cups of water in a medium sauce pan and cook the kombu over medium heat. When the water just starts to bubble, remove the kombu.
2. Add the bonito flakes to the boiling water for about a minute.
3. Remove the sauce pan from the heat and wait for the flakes to sink to the bottom.
4. Stretch a piece of cheese clother over a sieve. Pour the liquid and bonito flakes over it to strain.

That's it! You now have the perfect dashi to use in your favourie miso soup recipe.