Dashi Packet + Recipe (Video)

A dashi packet is a great alternative to making dashi (Japanese soup stock). It’s really convenient and produces a 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 using dashi packet (だしパック). These little pouches work just like tea bags; you simply need to mix them with water, let the flavor steep and infuse, and you’ll have flavorful dashi soup stock instantly! They are reasonably affordable and save so much time in the kitchen.

In this post, I will share 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.

One bag of Kayanoya Dashi contains 30 packets ($3.81/oz). If you make miso soup with a dashi packet, you can make roughly 60 miso soup bowls. By the way, it is cheaper than a carton of chicken stock!

Kayanoya Dashi is available in the U.S. and you can purchase their dashi on Amazon or from your local Japanese grocery stores (I get mine from Nijiya). Kayanoya also carries different types of dashi, including low-sodium dashi and vegetable dashi.

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.

Other Dashi Packets

Dashi packets are more easily accessible these days. You can get a few different brands of dashi packets on Amazon.

• Yamasan Japanese Umami Dashi Soup Stock Mix (15 packets; $4.29/oz)
• HYOSHIRO Original Dashi Stock (30 packets; $3.68/oz)
• Maekawa Natural Soup Stock Packet (28 packets; $0.60/oz)
• Yamaki Dashi Packet (no longer available on Amazon; April 2024)—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 food is not seasoned with too much salt, fat, or sugar. Rich in minerals and other vitamins, dashi is considered a healthy ingredient in our daily diet.

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on June 7, 2016. The original video was replaced with the new video using updated clips on April 26, 2024.