Chuka dashi or Chinese seasoning refers to powdered seasoning for Chinese and Chinese-inspired dishes.
Chuka Dashi (中華だし) or Chuka-fu Dashi (中華風だし) refers to powdered seasonings made of chicken, pork, and oyster. The Japanese use the instant powder for many chuka ryori, Chinese-influenced dishes.
Real Chinese stock (湯) requires boiling several proteins such as chicken, fish and pork and aromatics for hours. Thus, chuka dashi is an extreme shortcut to preparing Chinese stock at home.
You can use it to make stock by dissolving it in hot water or use it as a seasoning for stir-fries and salad dressings.
Torigara Soup
Alternatively, you can use Torigara Soup (鶏ガラスープの素), granulated chicken stock. The chicken stock tastes simpler than stock made with Chuka Dashi, so it works well with any recipe.
You could also make Homemade Chicken Stock. It’s a Chinese version of chicken stock, so the herbs and spices slightly differ from the western version.
Recipe with Chuka Dashi
Where To Buy
You can find torigara soup and chuka dashi at the spice aisle of Japanese and Asian grocery stores.
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