Last Updated on December 21, 2021

[水出し昆布だし]

Cold Brew Kombu Dashi (Vegan) is the easiest method to make authentic Japanese kombu dashi that can be used for anything from soups to flavored cooking liquid! Unlike the simmered kombu dashi, no cooking required but the result is always delicious. It’s naturally vegan and gluten free.

Kombu Dashi

Kombu dashi is an essential part of the traditional Japanese cooking. It’s a great broth substitute for vegans especially for cooking Japanese food. Furthermore, you don’t have to worry about intaking MSG or other concerning unhealthy ingredients.

It’s a versatile broth that you can use on its own or season with other ingredients. Actually, you can also make a variation by adding dried shiitake to make a shiitake kombu broth.

You can incorporate kombu dashi into your healthy diet. It’s a basic ingredient of many Japanese dishes that I almost use daily.

Taste

Kombu dashi has a very delicate and sophisticated taste yet very rich in umami. Compared to vegetable broth or western style broth, the taste is a lot milder however the subtle flavor actually goes very well with the Japanese cuisine.

In fact, authentic Japanese dishes tend to be very light in flavor or seasonings because they are prepared to highlight the natural taste of the ingredients in the best way possible.

Kombu dashi can taste slightly different between the cold brew method and simmering method.

Why Cold Brew?

There are a couple of benefits of using the cold brew method instead of the simmering method.

• Super easy to make
• Still rich in umami but with a refreshing taste (somewhat milder)
• No cooking required

Even for me who cooks often and don’t mind being in the kitchen, it’s a bit of a process and time to prepare kombu dashi especially when I’m hungry and want to eat as soon as possible.

With the simmering method, it takes about an hour from start to finish. Although, the simmering method isn’t hard to do, sometimes that one hour really matters.

Good news is that this cold brew kombu dashi really won’t sacrifice the taste. Also, It has slightly less “ocean” taste compared to the simmered kombu dashi, it’s almost unnoticeable.

How to Use Kombu Dashi

Kombu dashi is a versatile ingredient that you can do many things with such as:

• Using the base for miso soup or any other soups
• Making delicious broth for udon, soba, ramen, somen noodles
• Using as flavored cooking liquid (hidden flavor agent)

You could actually drink cold brew kombu dashi as a a part of healthy diet! Whatever the way you want to use it for, this cold brew kombu dashi is easy & perfect way to savor kombu dashi!

How to Store

Before storing, don’t forget to remove the kombu!

• You can store cold brew kombu dashi in the container you brewed and keep in the fridge.
• For the best taste, consume within 2-3 days and finish within 5 days.
• You can make ahead and store in the same container or transfer to an ice cube tray and keep in the freezer for up to 3 weeks.

Whichever the way you may choose, it’s best to consume as soon as possible for the best taste possible.

Ingredients

• Purified (filtered) water: Make sure to use clean water of your choice. I use filtered water using Berkey.
• Dried kombu sheet: I use ma-kombu for making kombu dashi. It makes sophisticated aroma & clean flavor/color kombu dashi. Other choices are listed below in “Tips.”

Tips

• Ingredient ratio

  • The basic formula that you can use to make perfectly brewed kombu dashi is 100:1 (i.e. 1000 ml water with 10 g kombu.)
  • The best way to measure the volume is using a scale. It’s more accurate for the obvious reasons.
  • Using the recipe default, 1000 ml (4 1/4 cups) water and 10 g (0.35 oz), comes out perfectly all the time.
  • If you like more intense kombu taste, use the same amount of water but increase the amount of kombu up to 20 g (0.7 oz.)

• Choice of dried kombu

  • I use ma-kombu for making kombu dashi. You can find one at The Japanese Pantry and Umami Insider.
  • Other authentic Japanese dried kombu you can use for everyday dashi would be rausu kombu, rishiri kombu or hidaka kombu if available. I typically use ma-kombu which makes sophisticated aroma & clean flavor/color kombu dashi.
  • Every dried kombu makes different tasting dashi. I recommend you trying a few different options to explore the flavor difference.

• How to clean kombu

  • All you need is to gently wipe the surface of kombu with a damp cloth.
  • Kombu may have some white powder on the surface which is actually the natural umami element. Wipe carefully.

• Consistency

  • Kombu dashi (especially the kombu itself) may become slimy however this is normal. It’s not spoiled!

• Leftover kombu

  • Don’t throw away the kombu after brewing! What I do is to slice them into thin strip or small pieces then transfer to a container with a lid. Keep in the freezer until I have a substantial amount to cook with. Then I make sweet & savory kombu which is delicious with Japanese rice.

• How to use

  • You can consume cold brew kombu either uncooked or cooked. I mainly use it for heat-applied cooking only.

How To Make Cold Brew Kombu Dashi (Step by Step)

1. Gently wipe dried kombu with a damp cloth. If the kombu is too wide, cut into an appropriate size to fit the container.

2. In a large jar with a lid, combine water and dried kombu. Close the lid and let it soak for 8-10 hours in the fridge.

3. After 8-10 hours of soaking, remove the kombu and it’s ready to use. You can save the kombu to cook other dishes.

Similar Recipe

• Simmered Kombu Dashi (Vegan) is more the traditional way to make kombu dashi

Print Recipe

5 from 34 votes

Cold Brew Kombu Dashi (Vegan)

Cold Brew Kombu Dashi (Vegan) is the easiest method to make authentic Japanese kombu dashi that can be used for anything from soups to flavored cooking liquid! Unlike the simmered kombu dashi, no cooking required but the result is always delicious.

Yield: about 960 ml or 4 cups

*Unit is in the metric system by default for more accuracy.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Soaking Time10 hours hrs

Total Time10 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Course: Broth & Stock

Cuisine: Japanese

Author: Plant-Based Matters

Ingredients

• 1000 ml purified (filtered) water
• 10 g dried kombu I use ma-kombu

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Gently wipe dried kombu with a damp cloth. If the kombu is too wide, cut into an appropriate size to fit the container.
• In a large jar with a lid, combine water and dried kombu. Close the lid and let it soak for 8-10 hours in the fridge.
• After 8-10 hours of soaking, remove the kombu and it's ready to use. You can save the kombu to cook other dishes (see the notes below.)

Notes

• Ingredient ratio
  • The basic formula that you can use to make perfectly brewed kombu dashi is 100:1 (i.e. 1000 ml water with 10 g kombu.)
  • The best way to measure the volume is using a scale. It's more accurate for the obvious reasons.
  • Using the recipe default, 1000 ml (4 1/4 cups) water and 10 g (0.35 oz), comes out perfectly all the time.
  • If you like more intense kombu taste, use the same amount of water but increase the amount of kombu up to 20 g (0.7 oz.)
• Choice of dried kombu
  • I use ma-kombu for making kombu dashi. You can find one at The Japanese Pantry and Umami Insider.
  • Other authentic Japanese dried kombu you can use for everyday dashi would be rausu kombu, rishiri kombu or hidaka kombu if available. I typically use ma-kombu which makes sophisticated aroma & clean flavor/color kombu dashi.
  •  
  • Every dried kombu makes different tasting dashi. I recommend you trying a few different options to explore the flavor difference.
• How to clean kombu
  • All you need is to gently wipe the surface of kombu with a damp cloth.
  • Kombu may have some white powder on the surface which is actually the natural umami element. Wipe carefully.
• Leftover kombu
  • Don't throw away the kombu after brewing! What I do is to slice them into thin strip or small pieces then transfer to a container with a lid. Keep in the freezer until I have a substantial amount to cook with. Then I make sweet & savory kombu which is delicious with Japanese rice.
• How to use
  • You can consume cold brew kombu either uncooked or cooked. I mainly use it for heat-applied cooking only.
• How to store
  • You can store cold brew kombu dashi in the container you brewed and keep in the fridge.
  • For the best taste, consume within 2-3 days and finish within 5 days.
  • You can make ahead and store in the same container or transfer to an ice cube tray and keep in the freezer for up to 3 weeks.
  • Whichever the way you may choose, it's best to consume as soon as possible for the best taste possible.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @plantbased_matters or tag #plantbased_matters!