Japanese Dashi / Japanese Soup Base

For those who have an allergy to MSG, it is better to make 
my recipes from scratch. 



Below are 3 different versions:

Version 1:
Soak dried konbu (seaweed) in warm water until it expands (this makes a nice starter for a
simple clear soup with fu (dried bread) in it)
  
Version 2:
Soak katsuoboshi (dried fish flakes) in hot (boiling) water; turn off burner; let cool; drain (this makes a nice starter for a simple miso soup)

Version 3:
Soak katsuoboshi i(dried fish flakes) in hot (boiling) water; turn off burner; during cooling add konbu;
drain (this makes a delicious base for Nabe (One pot Japanese dishes, as well as, other places
where you need a soup base)






Note #1:

I use all three types of dashi mentioned above in different recipes. I took many cooking classes from different famous chefs before coming to Japan.

To make your rice taste better, add a couple small pieces of dried konbu to your rice steamer before pushing the start button. This makes delicious rice for sushi types recipes.




Note #2:

As I mentioned in my earlier posting, I often make lots of dashi at one time. I have purchased ice cube
 trays for the freezing dashi purpose. I do not cover them in the freezer, however, I watch them and
 transfer them to self-sealing bags to keep the dashi "fresher".

If you are concerned that your freezer might acquire an odor, put an opened box of baking soda in it.
 I change the box every 3-4 months with a new one and use the old box for cleaning tough stains in the
 kitchen or bath areas.

If you have some nice porcelain china cups that have stains in them, baking soda as a paste works to
 remove the stain by rubbing it softly with your finger. Another safe china bleach is cream of tartar as a
 paste and softly rubbing it with your finger. If you can catch the coffee/tea stains when it is fresh, sprinkle
 salt on it and gently rub it with your finger. Rinse your dishes and your dishes will be sparkle clean.
 These will not scratch the finish.