Have you ever heard of “Shojin ryori” or “Shojin dashi”?
Shojin ryori mean vegetarian diet which are prepared as the charity for monks using only vegetables, beans and grain since the Buddhism prohibit monks from killing.
One of the most crucial part of this cuisine is shojin dashi which is the soup stock that does not use animal-based ingredients. It matches so well with various vegetarian and vegan dishes.
Here, I would like to introduce how to make the best shojin dashi at home!
Ingredients (for 4.1 Cups/1liter of soup stock)
・4.1 cups (1liter) Water
・0.4 oz (10g) Dried kombu (kelp)
・1 Dried shiitake mushroom
・0.5 oz (15g) Soybeans (no need to soak in water in advance)
・0.4 oz (10g) Dried gourd shavings*1
*1 If you can’t find any of this, not absolutely necessary.
Direction
1. Fry soybeans in a frying pan to bring out the aroma.
2. Soak the prepared ingredients in water and leave overnight.
3. Heat the soaked material and simmer over high heat until just before boiling.
4. Turn the heat to medium and simmer for about 20 minutes.
5. Strain the soup stock and you’re done.
Ready to use for cooking!
When you make vegetarian or vegan dishes at home, this should be really helpful especially when making some soup, noodles, and stew.
The reason why those material can make seriously delicious dashi stock is they are containing great umami components.
Glutamic acid extracted from kombu, soybeans, and gourd shavings and guanylic acid extracted from dried shiitake mushroom generate amazing synergy.
It’s said that mixing those different 2 types of umami components can boost the umami taste of the dish dramatically!
Generally speaking, some of shojin ryori dishes use a small amount of soy sauce to add aroma, but it rarely use salt most of the time. In other words, the shojin dashi with excellent umami (delicious taste) and koku (richness) makes the dish simple but really delicious without strong seasoning. Please try this dashi with a light seasoning!
Interested in Other Types of Japanese Dashi?
8 Common Types of Dashi and Their Uses
Interested in more about Shojin Ryori?
What Is Buddhist Vegan Cuisine (Shojin Ryori)?
Interested in more about Shojin Dashi?
What Is Vegan Soup Stock in Japan (Shojin Dashi)?
