What's dashi? Do I need to use it? Can I substitute with chicken (or other) stocks?
Dashi plays a VERY important role in Japanese cooking and we do not replace dashi with any other stock such as chicken stock or vegetable stock when we make traditional Japanese food. Unless I mention in the recipe, please try your best to make dashi. It’s very easy to make, and here are 3 ways to make dashi.  If you’re new to dashi, please read this post.