TENPAKU Traditionally Fermented & Smoked Whole Honkarebushi Katsuobushi Block Full of Umami from Japan, 7.05oz

Taking the plunge into freshly shaved katsuobushi is one of the best culinary decisions I've ever made. I hesitated for literally a couple years, put off by two main points... I imagined:1) The process would require sharply honed skill that wouldn't come easy and that would, for quite some time, produce unusable shavings from expensive starting materials. 2) Once I had the skill down, it would be very labor-intensive to produce a small amount of product; not something that I could whip up in a few minutes when the urge for katsuobushi based recipes struck. On each of these points I was both right and wrong.On the first point, yes... it is quite a skill, perhaps even an art to produce beautiful shavings of an even thickness that equitably absorb water and homogeneously diffuse tasty goodness into the hot water. After about my third time I started to be able to produce shavings whose evenness I was happy with. I was also wrong though; even the first couple times' shavings which were not so pretty (and the tiny razor sharp shards which I chipped off) were completely usable and made the best katsuobushi dashi I've ever had.The real problem with shavings of uneven thickness is that the fine shavings will "cook" while at the same time the thick shavings and shards will be under extracted. My advice during the learning curve is to err on the side of under extraction. Usually katsuobushi is placed into water that is no longer on the boil. I let it cool even a bit further to where it was still very hot but no boiling bubbles remained (off the heating element)... And then extracted for less time than I would normally. This produced a wonderful dashi that didn't taste "cooked" or fishy. As the skill improves and your flakes become more even you can play with your extraction level.On the second point, yes it is quite labor-intensive to produce a tiny amount of product. However, this katsuobushi block produces shavings which are phenomenally intense! Orders of magnitude more deliciously smokey and tangy than the paltry whiff of flavor that can be wrung out of even the most expensive pre shaved katsuobushi flakes. I found that I need only about 1/4 to 1/3 the amount of these flakes freshly shaved from the katsuobushi block as I would normally use from those big pillowy bags of pre shaved katsuobushi. So in actuality, it doesn't take a lot of time or effort to produce enough for even a large pot of dashi (I usually make a couple of quarts, or make 1 quart of super concentrated stock then divide and freeze).Another tip is to strain through a VERY fine mesh strainer, don't press the shavings too firmly, allow it to cool in a deep bowl then carefully decant the liquor off of the sediment. You want zero sediment. Sometimes I cool further in the fridge and decant again- the sediment imparts a muddy flavor. It won't fully appear until the dashi cools, it's insoluble in cold katsuobushi dashi so take your time and get rid of it all.I guess the last thing that put me off trying to shave the flakes myself was finding a shaving block (kezuriki) that wasn't hundreds of dollars but yet was still reliable enough to last for a couple years at least. I did find an inexpensive kezuriki here on Amazon, and followed some great advice from previous customers to give it a thorough oiling. I also try to be careful with it by not tapping to hard with the wooden mallet when adjusting the depth of the blade so I don't split the block. I hesitate to recommend that particular kezuriki yet though because I've only had it a few months and only used it less than 10 times. The point being, inexpensive kezuriki can be found, treated well and may last for at least a reasonable period of time.I hope this helps people who are considering trying the process of shaving katsuobushi themselves. I will never go back to pre shaved.As to whether this particular brand of katsuobushi block is good, I have also purchased the other available brand of block katsuobushi here on Amazon, but have not yet shaved into it. I didn't want to have two open blocks being shaved at the same time. so I can not attest to whether this brand or the other brand is more tasty. What I can say with no ambiguity, and complete certainty is that this freshly shaved katsuobushi is simply light years better than any pre shaved katsuobushi I've tried over decades of using those pillowy bags. It produces a katsuobushi dashi that is better than any I've had in a restaurant, including medium high grade Japanese and sushi restaurants in Los Angeles and San Francisco (some of this might just be my ability to cater the intensity and extraction to my particular taste). In my opinion, the process is harder to screw up then I originally thought and I regret waiting so long to try it.

Unlike the more common katsuobushi flakes sold in big bags, this is fermented and all of the flavor is preserved until you are ready to use it. Cheaper katsuo dashi flakes are very good, much better than instant dashi products, but they are usually made from dried and smoked bonito without any fermentation. A good analogy here is the difference between purchasing pre ground pepper vs high quality fresh ground pepper, maybe even a bit more like dried garlic or ginger vs the fresh stuff. This product comes in an elegant paper envelope, and inside is a vacuum sealed plastic bag containing the block. Very high quality, when you open the bag the smell reminds me of camping, grilling fresh caught fish over a hardwood fire. Fantastic.

made the best miso soup!! makes a beautiful Golden Dashi

packaged well and very nice aroma from the product .. I have had to shave it by hand with a chef knife because the shaving unit I ordered at the same time was not sent to me, some other item was sent that was not ordered so I have had to spend a good part of a day returning it to amazon for a refund. Now I must find another source for the shaving unit and order that to get the full use from the katsuobushi. I made miso soup with what I shaved off with a knife and it was wonderful.

Amazing product, this. Authentic, super tasty, and easy to shave with the proper shaving box. Releases enough flavor in a bout 7 minutes of steeping time, with a shorter cooking time if water is kept at boiling point (not recommended as the brew easily becomes bitter at higher temps near 100C). One of these lasted me exactly one year, drinking approximately one cup of miso soup made using the Katsuobushi a day, every day.VERY highly recommended!!

I use Katsuobushi to make soup stock with soy sauce, or miso paste.Shaving the dried fish block is extra work and most oriental food supply sells ready to use shaved bonito or powdered form for soup stock.Problem is those ready to use packages usually come with some sort of disinfecting chemicals which my system does not agree.The first block I purchased with shaving box was too dry and was not easy to shave-became mostly powder. The second block I ordered was the same brand and still dry side but it is lot easier to shave now.I have ordered same brand fish block directly from Japan but have to wait till end of August to receive.

Truly wonderful product. If you are looking for for a quality katsuobushi block to replace using Bonito shavings in your favorite dishes this is a great choice, the flavor profile is nothing short of amazing. Don't forget to order a Bonito shaver so you can get all of what this product has to offer, this is my second purchase of this item because it's sooooo good

Wonderful smoky aroma and the Koji dust is present. When tapping the fillet it has a high clear ring, which indicates it has a very low water content. The fillet shaves easily with beautiful thin long pink shavings. Just tried making an Ichi Ban Dashi with Kombu kelp and freshly shaved Honkarebushi. Very complex and delicious flavor profile. Excellent!