Seed Oil Free Dashi
This foundational Japanese stock is one of the most quietly extraordinary things you can make in a kitchen — clean, savory, and deeply umami without a drop of oil in sight. That makes it a natural fit for anyone avoiding industrially processed seed oils, since the flavor here comes entirely from two whole ingredients: dried kombu and katsuobushi. The technique is all about patience and gentle heat, coaxing a pale golden broth that tastes far more complex than its short ingredient list suggests. Keeping the temperature just below a boil is the real secret — it protects the delicate sweetness of the kombu and keeps the bonito flakes from turning bitter. Once strained, the result is a silky, translucent stock that forms the backbone of miso soup, noodle broths, simmered vegetables, and countless other dishes. It stores beautifully in the fridge for a few days or the freezer for a month, so a single batch goes a long way. If you've been relying on store-bought broths loaded with additives and vegetable oils, making this from scratch is a genuinely satisfying reset.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 4 ½ cups cold water
- 1 oz (about 15g) kombu
- 1 oz (about 30g) katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the cold water and kombu in a medium saucepan. Let the kombu soak at room temperature for 30 minutes, until the water turns a pale straw-yellow and the kombu has softened and expanded slightly.
- 2
Place the saucepan over medium-low heat and warm slowly, uncovered, until the water reaches a bare simmer — small bubbles will begin to rise from the bottom of the pan, about 10 minutes. Do not let it reach a full boil; remove the kombu just before the first rolling bubbles appear, as boiling makes the stock bitter and slimy.
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