"Omelet" wrote
> "James Silverton" wrote:

>> I've got two varieties of dried Japanese stock. One is Hon Dashi, made
>> from Bonito and used by me mainly for miso soup (1 tsp for 3 cups is

> Nice. Thank you! Dried Bonito is not hard to find at the asian market,
> but I think I'd rather try the Dashi powder.

I can give you the recipe to make your own but frankly the Hon Dashi is just
fine. At the market you will see the big box (hopefully) and lots of little
packets that make from 2 cups to 1 quart. They are *identical* so look at
the big box and if you just want to try a smaller sample, use the bigger box
measurements.

I do it by eyeball. Box says (translated) 1/4 ts per 3/4 cup. That to me
is too light. Try it though as my tastes have been highly adjusted to Japan
levels on this one. (In Japan, the box is considered an honorable attempt to
save money by using such a low level). Hehe i even ran this by an American
friend before cooking for some folks who'd never tasted real Miso soup. I
used closer to 1 TS per cup is my guess (was dealing with a 2 qt pot of
soup, used TB's and am guessing).

Ok less confusion. Try 1/4 ts in 3/4 cup boiling water. Taste. If not
right, add another 1/4 ts. That should be about right. It's supposed to be
a delicate flavor and not eaten alone but with other things.

Want simple green beans to shine? Cook in dashi instead of water. Same for
spinach or mustard greens.