I often find that I just can't be bothered to take out a pan to make dashi for a single, small bowl of something that only I'll be eating. So, I've been pondering some alternatives. With a large water dispenser which produces water hot enough to leave quite a painful burning sensation and red mark throughout the day and night and a microwave and rice cooker (with one of those switches without any actual settings) at my disposal, I feel there must be some way to make small portions of dashi without the stove. Thus, I've been thinking that dashi could be made by simply steeping some kombu and/or katsuobushi for a while in a bowl of hot water from the dispenser cup noodle / tea style. Yes, this is an obviously cup-noodle-demographic-minded plot; I'm alright with that. In fact, if shirataki can be prepared using a similar method, I'm all for it (:O?). Naturally, instant dashi is an option, but......... ... ... Meh. I tend to have a lot of kombu and katsuobushi, so.... If anyone has any input on this or any other "cup noodle method" lazy approaches, I'd love to read them. Quantity and steep time estimations are particularly welcome.