A dashi packet is a great alternative to making dashi (Japanese soup stock). It’s really convenient and produces much more flavorful soup stock than one made with dashi powder.
One of the most convenient ways of making delicious dashi for your miso soup and other Japanese dishes is Dashi Packet (だしパック). In this post, I will show you my favorite dashi packet and how to use it.
The Dashi Packet I Love
After trying a handful of dashi packet brands, I believe Kayanoya Dashi has the best flavors among them.
This dashi packet includes flying fish (Yakiago, Tobiuo), bonito flakes (katsuobushi), Pacific round herring (Urume Iwashi), kelp (Ma Kombu; see different types of kombu in this post), and sea salt.
Kayanoya says on their website: Our products contain no additives including artificial flavors and preservatives. Chemically-made MSG (sodium glutamate) is not added to the product during the manufacturing process, but we have not tested whether naturally-derived MSG is mixed in, so we do not advertise our products as “no MSG”. In addition, powder floats in the air during manufacturing and packaging processes, and naturally-derived MSG can generate. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that naturally-derived MSG is not mixed in.
One bag of Kayanoya Dashi comes with 30 packets, which can make roughly 60 miso soup bowls (if you’re using dashi for making miso soup).
Kayanoya Dashi finally came to the U.S. and you can purchase it on Amazon or from your local Japanese grocery stores (I get mine from Nijiya). Kayanoya also carries different types of dashi, which include low-sodium dashi and vegetable dashi.
There is another brand Yamaki Dashi Packet (get it on Amazon). I used to use this brand when Kayanoya Dashi wasn’t available in my local Japanese grocery stores.
Recipes Using Dashi
The majority of Japanese recipes require dashi to add authentic umami-rich savory flavors and here are some examples.
- Miso Soup
- Beef Udon
- Oyakodon (Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl)
- Tamagoyaki (Rolled Omelette)
- Shrimp Tempura
The Ultimate Dashi Guide
Dashi plays an important role as a flavor enhancer in Japanese cooking, so you don’t need to season the food with too much salt, fat, and sugar. Rich in minerals and other vitamins, dashi is considered a healthy ingredient in our daily diet.
There are six different types of dashi you can use in Japanese cooking, including vegetarian and vegan dashi (*).
- Awase Dashi – a stock made from a combination of dried kelp + bonito flakes
- Kombu Dashi * – a stock made from dried kelp
- Katsuo Dashi – a stock made from dried bonito flakes
- Iriko Dashi – a stock made from dried anchovies/sardines
- Shiitake Dashi * – a stock made from dried shiitake mushrooms
- Vegan Dashi * – a stock made from dried shiitake mushrooms and kombu
If you are new to different types of dashi, check out my Ultimate Dashi Guide.
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How to Make Japanese Soup Stock with Dashi Packet
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cup water
- 1 dashi packet (9 g)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, add water and dashi packet.
- Start cooking over medium heat. After boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Shake the bag a few times to get more flavors out of the bag.
- Discard the packet and dashi is ready to use.
To Store
- You can keep the dashi in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. I don’t recommend to freeze dashi made with dashi packet.
