Dashi

LiquidSauceAllergen: FishNot vegetarianUmamiSavorySmokyBrinyCleanLight

Nutrition (per 100 g)

Calories: 3
Protein (g): 0.4
Fat (g): 0
Carbs (g): 0.3
Fiber (g): —
Sodium (mg): —

Very low in calories; delivers concentrated umami from glutamates and nucleotides rather than macronutrients.

Storage

Room temp: up to 0 days
Refrigerated: up to 3 days
Frozen: up to 60 days

Dashi is a clear, pale-gold Japanese stock. It tastes clean and deeply savory with a subtle sea-breeze aroma, and it forms the base for miso soup, noodle broths, nimono, and tamagoyaki; it is made fresh from kombu and katsuobushi or from instant granules and concentrates. Most versions use katsuobushi (bonito flakes), though kombu-only versions are vegan.

Dashi developed in Japan, drawing on Hokkaido kombu and smoked, fermented skipjack shaved into katsuobushi. It is foundational across Japanese home cooking and restaurants, and modern instant formats became widespread in the mid-20th century.