Dashi Furikake

Umami saved is umami earned, part 2

I wanted to check in with a fun project that followed my foray into dashi garum and miso. The garums and misos are all happily ensconced in my pantry and fridge, and I use them often in all the ways you’d imagine and then some. Recently I used some of the miso plus a few cubes of the dashi reduction in a cassoulet that I made in my donabe, and it worked famously. Having all these deep and resonant flavor boosters on hand makes me feel rich: so many options, so many nuances.

Before fermenting the garums, I blended the dashi solids with koji to make a slurry, because the more surface area you’re able to create the faster the enzymes can do their work. When I used my fancy new press to filter the solids out of the garums, rather than mix them into the miso I dehydrated them and ground them into powder. That sat around for a while until recently, when I finally used it as the base for a wonderful furikake that I now find myself sprinkling on just about everything.

So, to recap, the dashi solids were sugar kelp, shiitake mushrooms, and katsuobushi—now in powdered form, and a dark olive green color. That’s plenty of umami, so what would work on top of that base? I had a fair amount of dried Mandarin peels from the winter, so those added a nice fruity treble note. My homegrown sesame seeds are both tan and black, so that’s a two-tone nutty/toasty note. Some fleur de sel that I brought back from Brittany was a logical choice, as was some of my fermented chile powder.

As with so many of the things we discuss here, you’ll notice that I drew upon my surroundings for the inspiration and ingredients for this mixture. Rather than proceeding from a recipe, I started with what was in my kitchen and created a combination of flavors with balance and depth. The principle is easy to understand. The details are up to you and your circumstances—and above all, your excellent taste.