Instructions: Combine kelp and water. Bring to a boil. Add bonita shavings. Return to a boil. Allow to cool. Strain through a sieve.

Comments: In its own way, soup (shirumono) is as basic to the cuisine of Japan as rice. Come summer or especially winter, its the rare meal that doesnt begin with a bowl of refreshing broth, a dish usually served so automatically, its not even mentioned on most Japanese restaurant menus - it just arrives, as naturally as bread in a French or Italian restaurant. Soup is used in the preparation of an innumerable assortment of Japanese dishes; its one of the building blocks of the cuisine. Its ubiquitous, and then some.

The most basic of Japanese soups is dashi, a broth made with dried bonita shavings (katsuobushi) and dried kelp (kombu). Its a clear, very mild soup, to Japanese cooking what a light chicken soup is to the cuisines of China and Europe. And its one of the easiest dishes in the world to make; all you have to know how to do is boil water.

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