Disodium inosinate

Inosinate disodique

What it is

Kodama Shintarō, working under Ikeda, pulled it out of katsuobushi five years after his teacher had finished with kombu. It is a nucleotide rather than an amino acid and on its own it is close to tasteless. Put it beside glutamate and the savour of both multiplies several times over — which is the whole reason a dashi is kombu and bonito rather than either alone, and why a ragù wants meat and tomato together.

In the kitchen

Useless by itself, so never dose it alone. Count on roughly one part to ten of a glutamate source — a pinch into a stock already carrying kombu, tomato or parmesan, not into plain water.

Goes with

Katsuobushi (dried bonito) Niboshi Kombu Monosodium glutamate Tomato Parmesan Pork Beef Chicken

Same species

Disodium guanylate

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