Vegan Dashi
Vegan dashi tastes like the earth and the sea. Made from dried mushrooms and kombu seaweed, it’s a flavorful broth base for any kind of savory dish.
Servings: 1 liter
Ingredients
- 1 liter water (1 quart)
- 3 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1 piece kombu 3x4 inches or 7x10 centimeters
- 1/2 cup mixed dried mushrooms can substitute an additional shiitake mushroom instead
- 1 sheet sushi nori optional
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Place a plate that is just smaller than the bowl into the bowl to weigh down and submerge the ingredients. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. Leave it overnight, up to 48 hours.
- Remove the plastic wrap and the plate. Use a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth to strain the broth thoroughly. It will keep for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
You may want to dilute the dashi before using it, either with water or another type of vegetable stock. This depends on how mushroomy the dashi comes out. It also depends on what you’re combining the dashi with - a strong dashi is fine mixed with curry but may be overwhelming by itself.
The nori will break apart into many small bits and will require thorough straining.