Kōmi, Ma Kombu, A Grade (Hokkaido Kelp), 500g
The kelp professional dashi is built on.
Ma kombu is the benchmark kelp for clear, refined dashi. Thick, broad fronds from Hokkaido give a clean, sweet stock with deep umami and no cloudiness. A grade selection, 500g bag.
More from the Kōmi kombu range: white kombu (shiroita), 10-year aged white bay ma kombu and, to pair with it, Okan bonito flakes for awase dashi.
Why Chefs Choose This
- Clarity: yields a clear, refined dashi without bitterness or murk.
- Depth: high natural glutamate gives a long, savoury finish.
- Grade: A grade selection of thick, broad fronds, consistent batch to batch.
- Control: cold-water extraction lets you set the strength to suit the dish.
How to Use
- Classic: cold-steep, then warm below boiling for ichiban dashi.
- Stock: the base for clear soups, nimono and donabe rice.
- Cross-cuisine: add a strip to risotto or a vegetable braise for savoury depth.
- Second use: simmer spent kombu for niban dashi, or chop it into tsukudani.
Ma kombu (真昆布, "true kelp") is regarded as the top grade of Japanese kelp and grows along the coast of southern Hokkaido around Hakodate. Kansai kitchens prize it for a clear, refined dashi, where the thick fronds give sweetness and umami without heavy colour. Glutamate, the compound behind savoury taste, was first identified in kombu dashi by the chemist Kikunae Ikeda in 1908, which is how the word umami entered the kitchen.
Learn more: What Is Kombu?
What does ma kombu taste like?
On its own, ma kombu dashi is clean and faintly sweet, with a rounded savoury weight that sits under everything you add to it. Less briny than wakame and less smoky than a katsuo stock, it reads as pure umami with a long finish. Thick A grade fronds give a fuller, sweeter extraction than thinner cooking kombu, which is why chefs reach for it when the dashi itself is on show.
| Type | Ma kombu 真昆布 (true kelp), dried |
| Brand | Kōmi |
| Grade | A grade |
| Origin | Japan (Hokkaido) |
| Net Weight and Format | 500g clear bag |
| Best Used As | Clear dashi base |
What is the difference between ma kombu and other kombu?
Ma kombu is the thick, broad kelp of southern Hokkaido and gives a clear, refined dashi with a sweeter, rounder umami. Rishiri kombu also makes a clear stock but reads a little saltier and more fragrant, while Hidaka kombu is softer and cooks down well, so it suits simmering and eating. Use ma kombu when the dashi is the centre of the dish, a clear soup or a delicate simmer.
What temperature should I extract kombu at?
For the cleanest result, steep the kombu in cold water for several hours or overnight, then warm it slowly and lift it out before the water boils, at around 60 to 80 degrees. Boiling kombu turns the stock cloudy and can draw out a slick, bitter edge. Low and slow keeps the dashi clear and sweet.
How should I store ma kombu?
Keep it sealed in a cool, dry, dark place. Kombu is dried for long keeping, so it holds well as long as it stays dry; reseal the bag after opening to keep moisture out. A faint white powder on the surface is natural. It is mannitol, part of the sweetness and umami, not a fault, so do not wipe it all away before use.
SKU : S0045