Unexpected start to the day ... Gypsy not feeling well, so she's taking the morning off. After breakfast I met our group in the lobby. Today, we start with a taxi ride to Uneno Dashi to learn all about this simple broth that forms on the culinary foundations of Japanese cooking. It's used as the base for miso soup, clear broth soup, noodle broth soup, as well as many simmering liquids to accentuate the savory flavor known as umami. |
Our host, Yoshiko Uneno, is a 4th-generation owner, who with her husband Motofusa, are on a personal mission is to educate and encourage younger people to use high quality ingredients in their cooking. They consider themselves stewards of the earth and focus their company in the same way. Yoshiko is warm, gracious, passionate and absolutely dedicated to her mission. |
She started off by telling us that their 150-year old company's primary focus is on konbu (dried kelp) and katsuobushi (dried and smoked bonito / skipjack that is shaved into thin flakes. Konbu Konbu, she tells us, is the key ingredient to make dashi. They harvest both wild and farmed konbu from Rishiri Island, off Hokkaido's northern most point. |
Natural harvesting is regulated it can only be taken two months/year and three-hours/day starting at 4:30AM. There are also regulations about where harvesting occurs and how much can be taken. Men go out in boats — one man per boat — to naturally harvest the konbu. Women help unload the boats and lay it out on the stone beach for the rest of the day.
The Unenos believe the konbu harvested off Rishiri Island to be among the best in the world for flavor due to the cold ocean conditions where icebergs turn up lots of good minerals that feed the kelp. In the case of farmed konbu, the Unenos believe the konbu farmer, like an agricultural farmer, has as much to do with the flavor as does the growing region. |
The source of their farmed konbu comes from a farmer who has been exclusively farming for the Unenos for more than 30 years.
There are a few varieties of Konbu, each with their own unique flavors:
Katsuobushi
In addition to konbu, a fish product is added. The Unenos favor katsuobushi (bonito, which is actually skipjack tuna), which is net caught for processing and line caught for eating, as is, in the very southern region of Japan's southern-most island. If unprocessed, it has a 25 gram protein content. Once processed the fish has a 78 gram protein content
When katsuobushi is added, the flavor of dashi changes ... the Rishiri konbu becomes stronger, which works for Tokyo cuisine since they use a stronger soy sauce that holds up to the more intense flavor. Sardines or anchovies are also used as a substitute for katsuobushi when making dashi.
- Rishiri konbu comes from the western side of Japan and has more umami
- Rausu konbu comes from the eastern side and is lighter in flavor — generally, people in Kyoto prefer this konbu because they use lighter soy sauce in their cuisine
Katsuobushi
In addition to konbu, a fish product is added. The Unenos favor katsuobushi (bonito, which is actually skipjack tuna), which is net caught for processing and line caught for eating, as is, in the very southern region of Japan's southern-most island. If unprocessed, it has a 25 gram protein content. Once processed the fish has a 78 gram protein content
When katsuobushi is added, the flavor of dashi changes ... the Rishiri konbu becomes stronger, which works for Tokyo cuisine since they use a stronger soy sauce that holds up to the more intense flavor. Sardines or anchovies are also used as a substitute for katsuobushi when making dashi.
There are two processing techniques used. In both cases whole bonito is inspected for quality. Then the head is removed, the fish is gutted and cut it in half to remove the spine. [Bones and heads are used for fertilizers and other food products — nothing goes to waste.] Once removed, the two fillets are cut in half again, which yields four fillets — two dorsal and two ventral. |
Then the sectioned loins are carefully arranged on trays. The trays are then lowered into a hot water bath that is just below boiling (70-80-degrees Celsius) for 60 to 90 minutes for sterilization and to hold in umami. [The water is repurposed to make instant raman since it is flavorful.]
After cooling, the small bones are carefully removed by hand, then a half to a third of the skin is removed from each section. Next the sectioned loins are “shaped” using a skipjack tuna paste to fill in cracks and smooth out irregularities. This improves the ultimate shape of the finished product. This method also helps prevent any mold from forming below the surface. Now they are ready to be smoked.The skipjack loins are smoked using oak in one of two large smoking rooms. The loins spend two-weeks being smoked on trays that are continually rotated to consolidate flavor. At this point the loins have a 26% moisture content, dark coloration and are called Arabushi, meaning rough timbers. Any tar or fat is carefully scraped off the surface. And for the vast majority of the smoked loins, this is basically the end of the process. The only step left is shaving the Arabushi to be then used in dashi.
After cooling, the small bones are carefully removed by hand, then a half to a third of the skin is removed from each section. Next the sectioned loins are “shaped” using a skipjack tuna paste to fill in cracks and smooth out irregularities. This improves the ultimate shape of the finished product. This method also helps prevent any mold from forming below the surface. Now they are ready to be smoked.The skipjack loins are smoked using oak in one of two large smoking rooms. The loins spend two-weeks being smoked on trays that are continually rotated to consolidate flavor. At this point the loins have a 26% moisture content, dark coloration and are called Arabushi, meaning rough timbers. Any tar or fat is carefully scraped off the surface. And for the vast majority of the smoked loins, this is basically the end of the process. The only step left is shaving the Arabushi to be then used in dashi.
The second process picks up at this point to make katsuobushi. The smoked loins then go through a fermentation process whereby they are inoculated with koji spores and placed in a humid fermentation room for 2 to 3 weeks. This mold helps break down remaining fat and makes the product more delicious. Next, they are dried in the sun before being put back into the humid fermentation room again. This cycle is repeated 3 to 4 times. After about 6 months of exacting work the fermented katsuobushi, now called Karebushi, are ready. The fermentation process has reduced the moisture level in the Karebushi to less than 20%. This is why when you tap two of them together, they give off a metallic clink. And when you split one open, the inside shines like a ruby. It is an almost miraculous transformation from what amounts to sashimi to this magical jewel of an ingredient. The flavor of the fermented katsuobushi is even deeper with umami.
Dashi made with Karebushi is clearer than that made of Arabushi. Both are full of umami, but dashi made with Karebushi has a deeper, rounder, more nuanced umami. Depending upon what is being cooked, determines which process of bonita is used. For instance, Udon uses Arabushi; whereas Itzaki uses Karebushi. The market in Japan is 90% Arabushi and 10% Karebushi. |
Next, we tour the area of their facility where katsuobushi is made into flakes for dashi. Yoshiko tells us that they process only a day's worth of stock to get it out quickly. The first shaving has a more refined flavor; the "chaff" is more subtle and higher in fat content.
Next, we tried hand-shaving a piece of Arabushi ... which takes pressure and a bit of skill. Followed by a lovely dashi-based lunch, and then ingredient shopping for pre-packaged ingredients to make our own and instant dashi packets for gifts.
How to Make Dashi Base
1 liter — cold water
10 gr — konbu
Soak for 5-8 hours on the counter. Konbu will expand. When ready to make dashi, put the ingredients in a pot and heat to 70-degrees Celsius (small bubbles on bottom of pan; not boiling). Remove konbu. [You can freeze the soup at this point and fish when ready to use].
When ready to finish soup and eat, heat stock to 90-degrees Celsius. Add 20 gr of bonito flakes — as soon as the flakes sink, the dashi is done. Strain broth.
How to Make Odashi Instant Dashi
Add 1 packet of Odashi Instant dashi to 500 ml of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Remove dashi packet and it's done. You can add tofu, veggies, bonita flakes or whatever you'd like at his point and heat so all the flavors blend. [You can use contents of dashi packet over rice or veggies for a rich umami flavor.]
How to Make Miso Soup
Use dashi base. Put dark miso or a combo of white / dark miso in a small strainer. Hold strainer in your to with base and stir to blend together. Add tofu cubes.
Japanese Pantry (San Francisco) sells Odashi products. They also make very wonderful miso, and hold cooking classes. thejapanesepantry.com
1 liter — cold water
10 gr — konbu
Soak for 5-8 hours on the counter. Konbu will expand. When ready to make dashi, put the ingredients in a pot and heat to 70-degrees Celsius (small bubbles on bottom of pan; not boiling). Remove konbu. [You can freeze the soup at this point and fish when ready to use].
When ready to finish soup and eat, heat stock to 90-degrees Celsius. Add 20 gr of bonito flakes — as soon as the flakes sink, the dashi is done. Strain broth.
How to Make Odashi Instant Dashi
Add 1 packet of Odashi Instant dashi to 500 ml of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Remove dashi packet and it's done. You can add tofu, veggies, bonita flakes or whatever you'd like at his point and heat so all the flavors blend. [You can use contents of dashi packet over rice or veggies for a rich umami flavor.]
How to Make Miso Soup
Use dashi base. Put dark miso or a combo of white / dark miso in a small strainer. Hold strainer in your to with base and stir to blend together. Add tofu cubes.
Japanese Pantry (San Francisco) sells Odashi products. They also make very wonderful miso, and hold cooking classes. thejapanesepantry.com