Dashi packet is a great alternative in 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 frying 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, 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.
Watch How to Make Dashi Using Dashi Packet
To make dashi with the dashi packet, it is as simple as boiling water. Just throw a dashi packet in a pot of water to quickly infuse the flavor for 3-5 minutes.
When you are running short on time, make dashi (Japanese soup stock) using the convenient dashi packet. It produces much more flavorful soup stock than one made with dashi powder.
Recipes Using Dashi
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 on Just One Cookbook
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 five different types of dashi you can use in Japanese cooking, including vegetarian and vegan dashi (*).
- Kombu Dashi → made from kombu (dried kelp)*
- Katsuo Dashi → made from katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
- Iriko Dashi → made from iriko or niboshi (dried anchovies/sardines)
- Shiitake Dashi → made from dried shiitake mushrooms*
- Awase Dashi → made from a combination of all above or two (e.g., kombu + katsuobushi)
If you are new to different types of dashi, check out my Ultimate Dashi Guide post.
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How to Make Dashi 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 3-5 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.
