Step 1

Clean the kombu gently with a damp cloth, never wash kombu!

Step 2

Put the kombu in a deep bowl and add 1 litre of water.

Step 3

Leave it to hydrate in the fridge for at least 1hr. For a deeper flavour we recommend leaving it overnight.

Step 4

Next, carefully transfer the water with the kombu to a saucepan and slowly heat to a gentle boil*.

Step 5

With the heat turned off, carefully remove the the kombu.

Step 6

Add the bonito flakes and let them soak for 5 mins.

Step 7

Strain the dashi into a bowl through sieve lined with kitchen paper or a clean tea towel. Gently squeeze the kitchen paper to release any remaining dashi.

Step 8

If your are not using the dashi straight away, store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or portion it out and store in the freezer.