Dashi Stock

How to make “Dashi Stock”

Ingredients

• 4 or 5 cups of water
• A handful of dried katsuobushi bonito flakes

Steps to make “Dashi Stock”

1. Bring the water to a boil, add the bonito flakes and set the heat to low.  Simmer for about 1 minute and turn the heat off.
2. Pour the contents through a sieve into a bowl.  Try to squeeze out as much of the flavor as possible using the back-side of a spoon.

Note: Dashi stock will keep in the refrigerator for 2 days, or a week in the freezer.

Note: Realistically, unless you live in Japan or are lucky enough to live close to a store which actually sells katsuobushi bonito flakes, just omit the dashi stock from the recipe.  Without it, your dinner won`t be quite the Japanese dinner but like all great cooks, you work with what you have and you make do.