Last Updated on December 21, 2021

[煮出し昆布だし]

Simmered Kombu Dashi (Vegan) is the traditional way to make authentic Japanese kombu dashi that can be used for anything from soups to flavored cooking liquid! Unlike the cold brew kombu dashi, it takes less time to prepare which is perfect for the last-minute meal planning! 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 simmering method and cold brew method.

Why Simmering?

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

• It takes less time to prepare so it’s perfect for a last minute meal planning
• You will have a hot broth ready in about an 1 hour
• Rich in umami and the taste of kombu is somewhat stronger

You know the feeling of when you decide to make something at the last minute and only to find out that the recipe requires overnight soaking. With the cold brew method, it’s a little easier to prepare but it requires 8-10 hour soaking.

Not for this simmered kombu dashi! It takes about 1 hour to extract delicious kombu dashi for you to use in any dish.

For the taste, both methods are pretty similar but the simmered kombu dashi can be a little more intense kombu flavor broth compared to the cold brew kombu dashi. Of course, the end results can vary depending on the type of kombu you use.

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)

Whatever the way you want to use it for, simmered kombu dashi is a perfect way to appreciate the pure taste of kombu dashi!

How to Store

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

• After you make simmered kombu dashi, you may not be using it right away or having some leftovers. If so, let it cool down completely and transfer to a container with a lid 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 jar or container and 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 simmering! 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 simmered kombu right way as a base for soups like miso soup, noodle broth and more!

How To Make Simmered 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 medium size pot, combine water and dried kombu. Let it soak for 30 minutes.

3. After 30 minutes of soaking, uncover and cook over medium low to medium heat. Simmer until tiny bubbles appear (a gentle boil.) It’s important not to let it fully boiled!

4. Once the bubbles appear, remove the kombu and it’s ready to use. You can save the kombu to cook other dishes.

Similar Recipe

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

Print Recipe

5 from 30 votes

Simmered Kombu Dashi (Vegan)

Simmered Kombu Dashi (Vegan) is the traditional way to make authentic Japanese kombu dashi that can be used for anything from soups to flavored cooking liquid! Unlike the cold brew kombu dashi, it takes less time to prepare which is perfect for the last minute meal planning!

Yield: about 900-920 ml or a little less than 4 cups

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

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Soaking Time30 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Course: Broth & Stock

Cuisine: Japanese

Servings: 0

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 medium size pot, combine water and dried kombu. Let it soak for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes of soaking, uncover and cook over medium low to medium heat. Simmer until tiny bubbles appear (a gentle boil.) It's important not to let it fully boiled!
• Once the tiny bubbles appear, remove the kombu and it’s ready to use. You can save the kombu to cook other dishes.

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 simmering! 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 use simmered kombu dashi as a base for soups like miso soup, noodle broth and more!

• How to store
  • After you make simmered kombu dashi, you may not be using it right away or having some leftovers. If so, let it cool down completely and transfer to a container with a lid 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 jar or container and 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!