Dried Shiitake Dashi
5 ingredients. 90 minutes. The umami foundation of every Japanese broth.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Hands-on
- 5 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- easy
Shiitake dashi is the vegan version of the classic Japanese kombu-katsuobushi dashi. The drying process intensifies shiitake's natural glutamates 3-5x, and a long cold-water soak followed by a gentle simmer produces a clear, deeply savory broth that powers miso soups, ramens, and braises. Make a quart, refrigerate it, and use it through the week.
Method
- 1
Rinse the dried shiitake briefly under cold water to remove dust. Place in a quart container with the cold water and kombu (if using).
- 2
Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Cold-extraction draws maximum umami without bitterness.
- 3
Transfer the soaked mixture to a saucepan. Heat over medium until just before boiling — small bubbles forming around the edges. Do not boil.
- 4
Reduce heat to a bare simmer. Hold for 20-30 minutes.
- 5
Strain through a fine mesh. Discard kombu. The shiitake can be sliced and added back to soups for chewy texture.
- 6
Refrigerate dashi up to 5 days. Freeze up to 3 months in ice cube trays for stock building.
Notes + variations
- •Hot-extracted shiitake (boiled from start) is bitter and flat. The cold soak is the technique.
- •Use this dashi as the base for miso soup, udon broth, or vegetable braises.
- •Stamets noted that home-dehydrated shiitake has higher glutamate than supermarket dried — your harvest is better than the store-bought version.
Grow it yourself
This recipe pairs with the following cultivated strains. If you're growing at home, here's what to plant.
Cooking workflow
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