dried bonito

So I'm trying to learn to make good dashi, and I need whole chunks of unflaked dried bonito to shave myself. Attempts to find it locally in LA have failed. Any idea of suppliers?

-thi

[la2tokyo]

I have looked for a long time for whole katsuobushi and I am fairly sure it is not available commercially. None of the major Japanese restaurant suppliers stock it, and they are the ones that supply most of the stuff in the Japanese markets. I have brought whole katsuobushi back from Japan, but I am fairly sure if I was caught by customs they would take it away. The best option is to buy the best katsuobushi at Marukai and use it as soon as you open it. The aroma will not be as good as freshly cut katsuo, but the difference in taste is not that huge. Do you have the tool to shave it yourself?

I've found it at Albertson's.

[kesata]

Which Albertsons? I just called several in my area (San Gabriel Valley, CA) and no one had any clue what I was talking about. They have the ready made flakes but not the whole bonito.

Try online at the ethnic grocer.

Link: http://www.ethnicgrocer.com/eg/landin...