Sounding out the role of Konbu

Heston Blumenthal

Chefs around the world are waking up to the power of konbu. Once the preserve of Japanese cuisine only, it is now beginning to be used not just in authentic or even fusion Japanese dishes, but also in creations inspired by indigenous cuisines around the world, and the reason for this is undoubtedly the powerful umami hit it offers.

Heston's dish, Sound of the Sea. Photography: YAYOI (www.yayoiworld.com)

“This dish,” says Heston Blumenthal, “is based around the taste, aroma, and overall experience of the seaside.” The dish in question is called Sound of the Sea and currently features in the tasting menu at Blumenthal's world-renowned Fat Duck restaurant.

Not only does the creation resemble the sea, with a sandy ‘beach' laden with an assortment of seaweed being lapped by the savoury foam of an incoming tide, but it is also intended to be enjoyed whilst listening to seaside sounds through the earphones of an i-Pod Shuffle. It is the result of a long period of research into multi-sensory dining experiences carried out by Blumenthal and his team in collaboration with a professor at Oxford University. One early experiment involved asking participants to consume oysters while listening to the sound of the sea. As a result of this painstaking research, says Blumenthal, the conclusion was reached that, “sound can have a huge impact on our perception of flavour.”

The result was Sound of the Sea, which does not contain oysters but consists of edible sand made from tapioca maltodextrin, powdered konbu and miso oil, seafood in the form of Japanese green abalone and razor & Venus clams, three types of seaweed, baby anchovies, lily root and samphire. The foamy sauce that represents the waves is made from a konbu and wakame stock infused with clams and oyster juice, while the shellfish are dressed with a classical ponzu sauce including fresh yuzu & sudachi citrus juice, soy sauce, roasted konbu and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes).

Photography: YAYOI

Ingredients were chosen both for their relevance to the seaside experience and to boost umami and konbu features in various elements of the dish. First it is used in a powdered form in the edible sand, where it produces a big burst of umami when combined with the miso oil. Next, in the sauce, the konbu is steeped in water as it would be for a traditional ichiban dashi (one hour at 60°C), but then rather than adding the traditional katsuobushi , Blumenthal uses Western, umami rich shellfish.

While the sauce deviates somewhat from the traditional Japanese model, the ponzu used to make the dressing for the various sea vegetables is in the traditional mould. Blumenthal comments that, “the unique quality that the roasted konbu gives the ponzu as it marinates is quite interesting. It seems to give it a real depth beyond just an acidic citrus soy sauce.” Overall, he adds, “the role [of konbu ] is supportive, however the balance would not be able to be struck without its presence.”

This dish has been praised by the patrons of the Fat Duck and Blumenthal is keen to incorporate konbu into other dishes, including those that are in other ways not at all Japanese in character. “We are currently working on a classic British fish and seafood dish that we will be using the powdered konbu with,” he says. “We will always continue to experiment with these natural food products as they can contribute so much to European cuisine if we just start to take more interest.”

Blumenthal hopes that konbu and konbu dashi will become more widely used in the UK and elsewhere. He points out that, “at present, dashi is only normally used in the context of Japanese cuisine but why can't we try and add this element to European cuisine, from soups to stocks, to enrich meat jellies and as a base for risottos?” Why not indeed. One thing is certain, however. With perhaps the world's most exciting chef championing its cause, konbu is sure to continue to grow in popularity.

Words: David Crosbie

This article is taken from Eat-Japan Vol. 2 Issue 2: Authentic Japanese Food, and was produced with cooperation from the Umami Information Center.