Kōmi, Classic Kombu (Dried Kelp), 1kg
A kilo of kombu for kitchens that make dashi every day. The same kombu we supply to the Waterside Inn, Trivet and Plates.
Almost every savoury dish in the Japanese kitchen starts with kombu. It is dried kelp, and it is the source of the glutamate-rich savouriness, umami, that sits under dashi and, through dashi, miso soup, simmered dishes, sauces and broths. This 1kg pack of Kōmi Classic Kombu is the catering format, for kitchens that run dashi as a daily staple and do not want to keep reordering. It is the kombu on order at three-Michelin-star the Waterside Inn, two-star Trivet and one-star Plates.
More from the Kōmi kombu range: white kombu, ma kombu, A grade, 10-year aged white bay, 3-year aged black bay and salted shio kombu.
Why Chefs Choose This
- The base of dashi: kombu is the backbone of dashi and so of most Japanese savoury cooking
- Plant-based stock: a kombu-only dashi is clean, savoury and fish-free, as used in Plates' Michelin-starred vegan kitchen
- Catering volume: 1kg keeps a busy dashi station stocked and brings the cost per litre down
- Trusted at the top: on order with the Waterside Inn, Trivet and Plates
How to Use
- Cold-brew dashi: steep a piece in cold water in the fridge overnight (mizudashi) for the cleanest stock
- Ichiban dashi: warm kombu in water to just below a simmer, lift it out, then add bonito flakes off the heat and strain
- Kombu-jime: press fillets of white fish between sheets to cure, firming the flesh and adding savouriness
- Nabe, oden and braises: add to the pot, but never boil kombu hard, which turns the broth slimy and bitter
Kombu (昆布) is edible kelp, harvested in cold northern waters, dried and matured. It has anchored Japanese cooking for centuries, shipped south along the old kombu road from Hokkaido to Osaka, Kyoto and beyond. It also gave the world a word. In 1908 the Tokyo chemist Kikunae Ikeda set out to identify the savoury taste of kombu dashi, isolated glutamate as its source and named the taste umami (旨味). A good kombu dashi is the quiet foundation under a huge range of dishes, which is why a serious Japanese kitchen treats kombu as a staple, not a speciality.
Learn more: What is Kombu?
How do you make dashi from kombu?
The gentlest method is cold extraction: put a piece of kombu in cold water and leave it in the fridge overnight, then lift it out. That alone gives a clean, plant-based dashi. For a fuller first stock, ichiban dashi, heat kombu and water slowly to just below a simmer, take the kombu out before it boils, then add a handful of bonito flakes off the heat and strain after a minute or two. Two rules matter most: do not boil kombu hard, and do not scrub off the fine white powder on its surface. That bloom is flavour, not dirt.
Product Details
| Type | Kombu (昆布), dried kelp |
| Brand | Kōmi |
| Net Weight | 1kg catering pack |
| Origin | Japan |
| As Used At | The Waterside Inn (three Michelin stars), Trivet (two), Plates (one) |
| Storage | Cool and dry; keep sealed and away from moisture |
| Best Used For | Dashi, plant-based dashi, kombu-jime and simmered dishes |
Should you wash the white powder off kombu?
No. The fine white bloom on the surface is mostly mannitol, a natural sugar alcohol, together with savoury compounds, and it is part of what you are buying kombu for. Washing it off rinses away flavour. If a piece looks dusty or has grit on it, wipe it very lightly with a barely damp cloth and leave it at that.
How much kombu do I need per litre of dashi?
A common starting point is around 10g of kombu per litre of water for a standard dashi, more for a stronger stock. Cold brewing overnight often takes a little more kombu than the warm method but gives a cleaner result. On that basis a 1kg pack makes around 100 litres of dashi. Used kombu can go into a second, lighter stock or be simmered into tsukudani.
Can you make dashi with only kombu?
Yes. A kombu-only dashi is the standard plant-based stock in Japanese cooking, clean and savoury with no fish. Cold extraction gives the best result, and adding dried shiitake makes it deeper still. Adding bonito flakes turns it into the classic ichiban dashi, but kombu on its own stands up well when a dish needs to stay fish-free.
Ingredients and allergens
Ingredients: Kelp (100%).
Allergen information is taken from the manufacturer's label; always check the pack before use.
SKU : S0855