Dashi, the Japanese Umami Base

Dashi is the foundation of almost every Japanese dish that has soup, sauce or broth in it — miso soup, ramen, simmered fish, the poaching liquid for delicate proteins like sea bream. The classic version is just two ingredients: kombu (dried kelp) and katsuobushi (shaved bonito flakes), steeped in water in two stages. The kombu goes into cold water and is removed just before boiling — boiling it turns the broth bitter and slimy. Then the bonito flakes are added off the heat for a few minutes and strained out. The result is pale gold, almost clear, and packed with umami without tasting fishy.