Comments on Beyond Salmon: Dashi -- the base of Japanese cuisine

It drives me crazy that in the majority of Japanes...

2008-04-04T11:49:00.000-04:00

It drives me crazy that in the majority of Japanese restaurants here in NY, they just use konbu and water as a base for miso. No bonito flakes, so that vegetarians and omnivores alike can be accommodated. It's infuriating. A whole layer of flavour gone.

Your salmon looks seared to absolute perfection. Gaw-geous.

Hi Gary,So glad you find my recipes useful :) It'...

2008-04-02T17:18:00.000-04:00

Hi Gary,

So glad you find my recipes useful :) It's wonderful that you have a 2 year old who is such a gourmet!

Cheers,
-Helen

Helen,Second recipe I have tried from these here p...

2008-04-02T17:01:00.000-04:00

Helen,
Second recipe I have tried from these here parts and...massive success yet again.

I just added a quick comment to your yogurt chicken recipe as that was my first try at a Beyond Salmon recipe and it was great, (the recipe AND my try).

This recipe came through with ease and lots of flavor. I encourage everyone to give it a shot. A quick trip to your local "asian"

I love dashi too. I use it to make miso soup all t...

2008-03-30T13:57:00.000-04:00

I love dashi too. I use it to make miso soup all the time. When I do that I actually take the kombu out and then add it back in at the last minute. Otherwise it seems to disintegrate.

And I also do vary the ratios a bit according to my mood.

I love this post! I've tried many times to make st...

2008-03-30T11:22:00.000-04:00

I love this post! I've tried many times to make stock. It always comes out something less than I'd hoped. I just don't have the head for it . . . yet. But this? Wow, this is screw up proof!

I think I love you.

Hi Birder,Unfortunately, I don't know the answers ...

2008-03-29T19:32:00.000-04:00

Hi Birder,

Unfortunately, I don't know the answers to your questions. I am much more of a French / Italian cook than a Japanese cook and this is only my second time making dashi. Maybe one of the other readers knows the answer?

Cheers,
-Helen

This is great! Thanks for the informative (not to ...

2008-03-29T14:07:00.000-04:00

This is great! Thanks for the informative (not to mention encouraging -- I never would have considered making my own dashi until now) post!

I have a few questions though, just out of plain old curiosity:

1. What happens if you leave the kombu and/or the dashi in?

2. Do people vary the proportions (of kelp to bonito) according to preference, or this ratio pretty firm?<

Oh this is so beautiful! I'm going to get some ko...

2008-03-28T22:22:00.000-04:00

Oh this is so beautiful! I'm going to get some kombu and bonito flakes next time I'm in Whole Foods or Chinatown. Your blog is always full of good ideas that make me want to drop everything else I'm doing.

I love dashi and always use the powder. I had no ...

2008-03-28T17:17:00.000-04:00

I love dashi and always use the powder. I had no idea it was so easy to make from scratch and probably become a convert. Thanks!