Kombu Shiitake Dashi

Dashi is a japanese soup broth that is made with brown seaweed (kombu). There was a BBC story today about how an  alginate found in brown seaweed inhibits the body's ability to digest fat. Apparently this information is not new and people in Japan, Korea and China have known it for years! That is why, in general, those populations tend to be thin!! Of course, you still have to pay attention to what and how much you eat, but every little bit helps, right? So, off I went to the grocery store and bought some dried kombu, which you can use to make this broth. This recipe uses Shiitake mushrooms, but there are many varieties. This dashi is an excellent soup stock, and can be used as a base for a noodle dish or just eaten as is. 

Ingredients:

• 4 cups cold water
• 2 pieces dried kombu seaweed
• 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sauted in the olive oil
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 a small onion, chopped and sauteed with the mushrooms
• 2 small carrots, chopped and sauteed with the mushrooms
• 1 tsp soy sauce---use low sodium
• 2 inch cube finely minced or grated ginger
• 1 tsp freshly grated black pepper 
• 1 tsp hot sauce

Preparation:

1. Heat water and kombu in a medium saucepan and bring to a high simmer. Do not boil. Remove the kombu and discard after simmering for about 4 minutes. In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and saute the onions, ginger, mushrooms and carrots until soft, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the sauteed vegetables to the broth, reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Stir in the grated pepper and hot sauce and cook for another few minutes. Ladle into soup bowls.