Dashi broth can be used as a flavoring agent for baby food and is excellent for a child’s development. The following is a guide from AVAKids’ 0-3 year old childcare section on how to make nutritious dashi broth for your baby.

What is Dashi Broth?

Dashi is a general term for various broths used in Japanese baby food. Babies under 1 year old should not be given regular seasonings during their early stages of eating solids. Therefore, the purpose of dashi is to provide a natural sweetness, add nutrients, and stimulate a child’s interest in food.

There are many ways to make dashi from various ingredients such as kombu seaweed (for baby food), dried fish, chicken bones (for chicken soup), vegetables, or shiitake mushrooms. Mothers can use different ingredients depending on the dish when making dashi for their baby.

Incompatible Vegetables When Making Dashi Broth

Remember these guidelines when selecting vegetables for making dashi broth. Some vegetables are incompatible when cooked together in dashi, such as:

• Do not cook white radish and carrots together: Radishes are rich in vitamin C, but carrots contain enzymes that break down vitamin C. Therefore, do not cook these two together to avoid nutrient loss. They can even cause bloating and indigestion in your baby.
• Do not cook Chinese cabbage and pumpkin together: Enzymes in pumpkin can easily destroy the vitamin C in Chinese cabbage. Therefore, limit the use of these two vegetables together.
• Do not cook potatoes, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes together: Cooking these three together can easily cause diarrhea in infants.
• Do not cook tomatoes and cucumbers together: Cucumbers contain substances that break down vitamin C, while tomatoes are primarily composed of vitamin C. Therefore, limit combining these two to avoid vitamin C loss during cooking.

To thaw frozen dashi while preserving nutrients, steam it or use a microwave. Alternatively, you can move the dashi to the refrigerator’s chill compartment the night before use to ensure it thaws slowly.

Parents can use a variety of other vegetables that their baby likes, or to supplement essential vitamins, such as water from boiled bok choy, chayote squash, and cabbage. Choose sweet vegetables to make the food more appealing and easier for your baby to eat.

How to Make Dashi Broth for Baby Food

Vegetable Dashi Broth

Illustrative image of vegetable dashi

Ingredients:

• Sweet corn: 1/2 ear
• Carrot: 1/2 medium
• Sponge gourd: 1/2 medium
• Pumpkin: 1 small piece (50g)
• Bottle gourd: 1 small piece (50g)

Instructions:

• Prepare the ingredients. Wash all the vegetables thoroughly and cut them into pieces.
• Add about 800ml – 1 liter of water to a pot. Add the vegetables that take longer to cook first, including pumpkin, corn, carrots, and bottle gourd. Simmer for about 15 minutes over low heat.
• Then, add the sponge gourd and cook for another 5 minutes over low heat before turning off the heat.
• Strain the dashi through a sieve, let it cool, pour it into a container, freeze, and use within a week.

Instructions for making vegetable dashi. Source:

Kombu Kelp Dashi Broth

You can find dried kombu kelp seaweed at most Asian grocery stores.

Ingredients:

• Kombu kelp: 20g

Instructions:

• First, wipe the kombu kelp with a clean cloth. Note: Do not wash the kombu, as this will remove its umami flavor.
• Add 1 liter of water to a pot, then add the kombu kelp and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes.
• Remove the kombu and strain again to remove any kelp strands.
• Pour the kombu dashi broth into a container, freeze, and use within 1 week.

Instructions for making kombu kelp dashi. Source: JapaneseCooking101

Kombu Kelp and Bonito Flakes Dashi Broth

Illustrative image of kombu kelp and bonito flakes dashi

Ingredients:

• Kombu kelp: 20g
• Dried Japanese bonito flakes: 20g

Instructions:

• Wipe the kombu kelp with a clean cloth. Do not wash the kombu, as this will remove its umami flavor.
• Add 1 liter of water to a pot, then add the kombu kelp and simmer.
• Once the water boils, remove the kelp.
• Add the dried bonito flakes to the pot and cook for another 5 minutes before turning off the heat.
• Strain the broth to remove fish debris, let it cool, and then freeze.

Instructions for making kombu kelp and bonito flakes dashi. Source: Tokyo Sushi Academy English Course

Shiitake Mushroom Dashi

Illustrative image of shiitake mushroom dashi

Ingredients:

• Dried shiitake mushrooms: 30g

Instructions:

• Soak the shiitake mushrooms for about 30 minutes. Then, remove them and cut off the stems.
• Next, soak the mushrooms in 1 liter of cold water for 8-12 hours in the refrigerator.
• Strain again and pour into a container for freezing.

Instructions for making shiitake dashi. Source: Vege and Koji

How to Store Dashi Broth

Dashi broth is typically made from vegetables, bones, and fish—all nutrient-rich ingredients. Simmering for a long time yields a nutrient-rich broth; however, dashi spoils quickly if not stored properly. Allow the dashi to cool completely before freezing.

You can use ice cube trays to store the dashi; each cube contains about 15-50ml. Making a batch and freezing it allows for convenient use for up to a week. If stored in the refrigerator’s chill compartment, use within 2 days.

To thaw dashi, use a microwave or steam it. If using in the morning, place the dashi in the refrigerator’s chill compartment the night before.

This is a detailed guide to six ways to make dashi broth for your baby’s food, suggested by AVAKids. Dashi broth is nutritious and can replace seasonings. Why not try making dashi broth today?