Dashi for ramen: which to get or substitute & how much to use
It is no secret that when you are making ramen, a critical ingredient is dashi. Dashi is what brings the flavor into your ramen, and without it, your ramen will be mediocre at best.
The dashi is a base ingredient, and no amount of ingredients you throw in will be able to replace it.
So the first thing you will need to determine is whether you are going to make the dashi or buy it pre-made.
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The DIY method for dashi
If you are feeling ambitious enough, you can try and make the dashi yourself.
Most basic recipes will take about ten minutes to make the dashi, but if you are short on time there are other options you can go with.
Use a dashi substitute
Using a dashi substitute doesn’t mean you can’t make something yourself. I’ve got this vegan dashi recipe for example that can be a perfect substitute.
In that article, I also talk about some other and maybe easier ways to substitute dashi in your recipe. Definitely worth a read if you’ve got the time.
Buy premade dashi
If you either don’t have time or are not patient enough to make the dashi for your ramen, you can always buy premade dashi and some of these instant dashi powders I’ve reviewed here at your local grocery store or Asian store.
The availability and selection will depend on the store you shop at, and if they don’t have dashi you will need to get it from somewhere else.
Buy premade dashi on Amazon
It may sound strange, but Amazon does sell food and ingredients. Amazon offers a large selection of dashi that you can order and have delivered within a day or two.
While you will have to wait for it to arrive and it isn’t as fast as just going out and buying it in a physical store, Amazon allows you to always be stocked up for the next time you need dashi for your ramen.
How much dashi to use for ramen?
Once you have your dashi, however you chose to obtain it, it is now time to make your ramen! But how much dashi is needed anyway?
Well, that will depend on how much ramen you are making. If you are just making a small bowl of ramen for a meal then you won’t need much dashi.
After all, dashi is a soup stock, and the more you are making the more you will need.
So the amount will differ based on the amount of ramen you are making. If you are following a recipe, it should tell you exactly how much dashi you will need per serving.
Once you have the dashi in your ramen, add the rest of the ingredients and you will have an incredibly delicious bowl of ramen ready to eat.
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Bitemybun's family recipes with complete meal planner and recipe guide.
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Joost Nusselder, the founder of Bite My Bun is a content marketer, dad and loves trying out new food with Japanese food at the heart of his passion, and together with his team he's been creating in-depth blog articles since 2016 to help loyal readers with recipes and cooking tips.
