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–+ servings

Homemade Dashi Packets (The Best Dashi Powder Substitute)

Prep Time10 minutes
Cold-brew time8 hours
Total Time8 hours 10 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 5 4g bags

Ingredients 
 

Dashi Packets

Cold-Brew Ichiban Dashi

  • 500 ml cold water soft water recommended
  • 1 dashi packet 4g packet

Simmered Niban Dashi

Instructions 

How to Make Dashi Packets

  • Pulse 5 g dried kelp (kombu) in a food processor until it becomes coarse chips (not a powder), then pour it into a container.
    close up of blitzed dry kombu
  • Break the heads off of 3 g dried sardines (niboshi) and remove the guts, then place them in the food processor.
    breaking heads off of niboshi dried sardines
  • Add 12 g bonito flakes (katsuobushi) and 2 g dried shiitake mushrooms to the food processor. If using thinly shaved bonito flakes, you might need to blitz them in batches. Pulse into a coarse powder.
    dried shiitake, katsuobushi and dried sardines in a blender jar on a weighing scale
  • Pour the contents of the food processor into the container with the kombu chips and mix until evenly distributed.
    Dried blitzed kombu, shiitake, katsuobushi and niboshi mixed together in a steel container
  • Measure into five 4g portions (or two 8g portions + one 4g portion), then pour each portion into a mesh bag.
    hand holding up homemade dashi packet
  • Store in a sealed container in the freezer.
    homemade dashi packets stored in a silicone bag with zip

Cold Brew Dashi (First Extraction/Ichiban)

  • Drop one 1 dashi packet (4g) in 500 ml cold water. Cover and refrigerate overnight (up to 12 hours).
    cold brewed homemade dashi in a bottle with gray lid
  • Remove the dashi packet, gently squeeze, and set it aside for the second extraction. Use the dashi straight away, or store in the fridge for later (up to 3 days).
    cold brewed dashi made with homemade dashi packet in a glass mixing bowl

Hot Brew Dashi (Second Extraction/Niban)

  • Once the cold brew is complete, you can reuse the 1 dashi packet to make niban dashi. Place it in a saucepan with a fresh 500 ml water.
    homemade dashi packet in a pot of water on the stove top
  • Bring the heat to gentle simmer, then continue to heat over medium-low for about 10 minutes.
    extracting dashi from homemade dashi packet in a pot on the stove top
  • Remove the bag and use the dashi in your favorite Japanese recipe. It can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
    cold brewed dashi made with homemade dashi packet in a glass mixing bowl close up

Furikake (Optional)

  • Pour the contents of the used dashi packet into a dry frying pan. Heat on low and mix continuously until the ingredients are completely dry and toasty. Add a splash of soy sauce, mirin and a pinch of sugar. Mix well and enjoy with rice.
    leftover dashi packet contents in a frying pan to make furikake rice seasoning

Notes

The total blend (22 g) makes about enough for roughly 2.5 liters of ichiban dashi and 2.5 liters of niban dashi (5 liters in total).
The base recipe makes 5x4g bags (for 500ml cold-brew/500ml niban). You can double the contents of the bag to make an 8g bag which will brew 1L cold-brew dashi and 1L niban dashi.
8 g per liter is the baseline. Use 7 g for a lighter stock or 9 g for something more concentrated.
For cold-brew (ichiban dashi), use soft water if possible. Hard water reduces umami extraction.
Dry packets store best in the freezer in a sealed bag with a desiccant. They will keep for 2-3 months, but aroma is best within the first 1-2 weeks.
Brewed dashi keeps for 3 days in the fridge. Freeze in ice cube trays for up to 1 month.