Kawashimaya Kombu Dried Seaweed for Dashi, High Grade Rausu Kelp, No Preservative, From Hokkaido, Made in Japan 3.5 oz (100g)

Totally what I wanted

We love this kombu. It works great for shabu shabu. I wish it was still available here.

This seaweed is a nice addition to my soup. It cooks nicely and has a very fresh ocean taste!

This is a high-quality Kombu harvested from Rausu, Hokkaido. It comes in 5 large, irregular sheets packed in a resealable, clear plastic bag. It looks thoroughly clean and fresh. It is clearly a grade or two higher than those that I got from an Asian grocery store.I use Kombu for preparing dashi for miso and ramen soups. I cut a few strips and simmer them just under boiling for 20-30 minutes. The dashi looks clean and tastes savory. It has a strong umami taste as expected, as well as a nice kelp smell to it. It does taste noticeably better than the ones that I got. No contest.Overall, I really like this Kombu a lot. It is simply amazing. Premium quality and strong umami flavor. Mine has a best before date of 12 months from now, so this will last for a while. Pricy but worth it for the quality and the savory flavor. Recommended.

I am very new to Kombu Dashi. I made the very simple overnight version and the result was a wonderful, earthy broth with a slight mineral flavor (in a good way) and a kiss of ocean flavor. It’s a fantastic base for lots of soups.I tasted one of the Kombu strips that had been steeped in water. Being Hispanic, my only frame of reference is that it tastes a bit like “Nopales.” Nopales is prickly pear cactus “leaves.” While not as “slimy,” it has a similar earthy flavor.Of course, I did not throw out the leftover Kombu! I prepared Tsukudani using the directions and all the ingredients listed on the Amazon description page for this product. I made two slight adjustments for my taste. I added a little bit of dark soy sauce. Also, when the Tsukudani had cooked down, I added some sesame seeds that I had just toasted. Served with rice, it is delicious. I added a little more soy sauce and a small pad of butter… AMAZING!!! (Photo attached)One last comment, the size of this product is pretty generous. I took a photo of the package with two standard playing cards to give you an idea of the size.

I used this in dashi & then had the dashi with noodles & veg. It was delicious. I steep about 20g kelp in 1 Liter cold water for 4 hours & then just bring to a simmer for about 1 minute. Add cooked noodles, veg, soft egg, tofu, sesame oil, yuzu kosho, etc. - whatever you like.Product of Japan

If you live in a rural area, like I do, getting ingredients like seaweed is a challenge.These salty sheets of seaweed are as natural as it gets. You can taste the ocean.After rinsing and preparing, they make an excellent broth with that little nuance.

I know that taste is subjective, but I personally just didn't care for the "oceany" flavor of the plain Dashi Kombu stock. I know it is a staple of Japanese cuisine and recognize that KAWASHIMAYA's product is very high quality. I enjoy Asian dishes but the fishier stuff doesn't agree so well with my palate. The Rausu kelp has a very, VERY distinct flavor that others may find more appealing than I do.That said, I used the stock as a base for my miso soup and it turned out fantastic. The umami of the Dashi compliments the flavor of the miso and improved upon the basic ingredients. So that's a win. The kelp stock is easy to make, it just takes a little time. I'm not sure why they instruct you to wipe the Dashi with a damp cloth as that also removes some of the white flavoring powder, but it is what it is. I will finish out my supply from the resealable bag, and try some other dishes with it, but it won't likely be a repeat purchase.Product of Japan~ Kort