If you’ve ever wondered why the Japanese food you enjoy in restaurants varies so significantly from what people prepare at home, the difference is in the details. Masterfully crafted Japanese dishes rely on dozens of well-crafted components, including a staple called dashi. Learn about its role in Japanese food preparation in the guide below.

What Is Dashi?

Prized for centuries, dashi is a special type of cooking broth made with dried bonito fish and kombu, a type of kelp. Varieties include one made with dried sardines, referred to as iriko or niboshi dashi, and shiitake dashi containing shiitake mushrooms. While pre-made dashi can be easily found at Asian supermarkets, high-end ingredients yield a finer, more flavorful broth. 

How Is Dashi Used in Japanese Food? 

Dashi is rich and flavorful, but subtle enough to blend into the background and let main ingredients be the star of the show. In addition to acting as the base of miso soup, dashi is commonly used in sauces, as a poaching liquid, and as a marinade for vegetables before they’re deep-fried for tempura. Dashi is also sprinkled onto the rice when making sushi to lend an unami flavor to the roll. It can be used to soak kombu to add extra flavor to future batches of dashi as well.

If you’re craving delicious Japanese food made with dashi, head to Waioli Grill & Cafe in Honolulu, HI. Their professional chef has more than 20 years of experience and professional teppanyaki style training, which he infuses into the Neo-American and Japanese food, from roasted duck breast and sake-steamed Alaskan crab. If you’re in the mood to try several new dishes, take advantage of their ichiju sansai lunch set that comes with rice and two appetizers as well as your choice of a main dish and soup. Explore their menu online, or call the restaurant at (808) 734-5298 to reserve a table.