Top 15 😍 Best Substitute for Dashi Stock for a Cooking Recipe

Are you cooking a recipe that calls for Dashi stock as the main ingredient and you don’t have it right now? You don’t need to worry. We have the best Dashi substitute for you so that your recipe wouldn’t be ruined. You need to know about the Dashi stock before knowing about its substitute. It will be easy for you to choose the best substitute for your recipe/dish.

What is Dashi, Actually?

Dashi is used in many Japanese dishes such as miso soup, soup for noodles, and various types of simmered dishes. A Dash stock can be made from any type of veggies and meat such as tomatoes, tofu, meat, etc. For easy understanding, if you have 100 ingredients, you can get 100 types of Dashi soup stocks. Using Dashi stock in a recipe works really well and gives a nice flavor.

Nutrient Profile of Dashi:

Health Benefits of Dashi:

• Dashi helps to lower blood pressure.
• It prevents the symptoms of depression.
• Dashi has some anti-aging properties.
• It may reduce mental fatigue also.

What can I Substitute for Dashi Stock?

We know how it feels when you run out of the main ingredient or you forget to buy it. If the same things happen to you and you’re anxious about your recipe. We would like to say that you don’t need to worry much. We have a list of the best substitute for Dashi right here. You just have to check all of these and choose the best one which is around you or in your pantry.

1. White Fish:

Bonito Flakes are considered White Fish, so you can use White Fish, like red meat to empower your recipe/dish. You can use other White Fish such as Catfish, haddock, bass, cod, and snapper. You can make a stock using White Fish along with onions, leeks, garlic, and celery. It’s not necessary to use all of these aromatics. You can skip them and use soy sauce and a little bit of sugar instead.

2. Shellfish:

If you don’t have White Fish but Shellfish, you can use them because it gives the seafood-based flavor without using Fish. You need to saute aromatics with Shellfish then add some water bring to a boil and let simmer for an hour. It may take a longer time to extract the flavor from shellfish.

3. Shiitake Mushrooms and Dried Seaweed:

Both Shiitake Mushrooms and Dried Seaweed give the perfect umami flavor. To make a Dashi substitute, you need to soak them for about 30 mins then boil this mixture for 10 mins. It totally depends on you to add water content because only you know how much quantity you want. You can use water from your soaked ingredients and simmer for a few minutes. If you want to skip the seaweed and use other veggies, you must be sure to boil them for 20 mins and strain the soup.

4. Chicken Broth:

Chicken Broth is a handy and easiest substitute for Dashi. You won’t get the exact taste of seafood but it works perfectly as a Dashi alternative. We don’t recommend beef broth as it has a strong taste. You can easily replace it with Dashi stock in the same amount. You may find the difference in taste because it’s not as similar to the seaweed taste.

5. Powdered or Cubed Broth:

Using Powdered Broth or Cubed Broth as a Dashi replacement in your recipe, you have a variety of options available such as chicken, fish, shrimp, etc. Avoid using the beef and pork option because your recipe taste would not be the same as you expect. It can overpower the Dashi taste. This powdered or cube broth is flavorful but requires more water content than it needs actually. You should follow the instructions on the package to prepare the broth as usual. You can taste and add more water accordingly.

6. Mentsuyu:

Mentsuyu Sauce is made from soy sauce, dashi, mirin, and other spices. It is mainly used for soups in soba and somen noodles. Mentsuyu can be used for simmered dishes to get a bold and umami flavor. If you choose to use Mentsuyu as a replacement for Dashi, you should use a less amount so that it won’t change the taste of the whole recipe because it is stronger than Dashi. Use it as a base soup for recipes like grilled chicken with miso sauce.

7. Shiro-Dashi:

Shiro-Dashi is very similar to Mentsuyu Sauce. It is a pre-made dashi base with light soy sauce, kombu, bonito flakes, mirin, and sugar. It is light in color. Japanese people tend to use Shiro-Dashi instead of Mentsuyu when they prevent food from dark color. Shiro-Dashi contains both bonito and kombu dashi soup stock.

8. Soy Sauce:

Soy Sauce is not an ideal substitute for Dashi for every recipe. It works well with Japanese recipes/dishes to give the same umami flavor. Soy Sauce is easily available at everyone’s home so you would not need to visit any grocery store. You should also keep in mind that Soy Sauce is dark in color. It may change the final look of your recipe. If you are preparing tempura sauce, katsu don, gyudon, and noodles, you can use Soy Sauce. If you need, you can dilute it with water.

9. Kombu-Tsuyu:

Kombu-Tsuyu is the same as the other seasoning such as Mentsuyu and Shiro-dashi. This is the best for lovers of kombu flavor. Some Kombu-Tsuyu doesn’t contain soy sauce but contains both salt and sugar in that case. This is a good dashi substitute you can use in your recipe.

10. Hondashi:

Hondashi is a popular brand in Japan that makes Dashi granules which are widely used in the whole of Japan. There is no fixed raw material to make Hondashi. It can be made from bonito, kombu (kelp), niboshi (dried small sardines), agodashi, etc. People love Dashi granules more than making Dashi from scratch. Hondashi is available for many kinds of Japanese dishes such as miso soup and simmered foods. You can also add some seasoning like miso, soy sauce, sugar, etc.

11. Dried Bonito Shavings:

Sometimes, it’s not easy to make Dashi stock using fresh Bonito Shavings. You can buy a small packet of Bonito Shavings from your nearby Japanese Store to substitute Dashi stock. If you want to save time and don’t want to make Dashi soup stock, you can simply sprinkle dried Bonito Shavings in your recipe directly. These are some examples of such recipes/dishes in which you can sprinkle Bonito Shavings directly with Japanese-style stews, miso soup, salad, cold tofu, etc.

12. Kombu Tea:

Kombu Tea is made of dried Kombu seaweed that people often used to make tea. You can use it to substitute Dashi powder as well. It’s a healthy drink and contains a high amount of calcium, iron, magnesium, and vitamins. Kombu Tea helps to calm the nervous system and helps to relieve digestion issues. It works perfectly with recipes and gives a perfect flavor to them. We suggest not using any flavored Kombu Tea, normal Kombu tea is the best for cooking. This is a healthy Dashi replacement you can use in your cooking.

13. Shio Kombu/Salted Kelp:

Shio Kombu (Salted Kelp) is a type of processed product of Kombu. It is made by simmering Kombu and coating it with salt. We highly recommend this substitute for Dashi stock because the pack of Shio Kombu is easier to use for cooking as compared to big pieces of dried Kombu. You can directly sprinkle Shio Kombu on cold tofu, or salad, or mix it with steamed rice. When you want to make Dashi soup, just put Shio Kombu in hot water.

14. Tororo Kombu/Shredded Kelp:

Tororo Kombu (Shredded Kelp) is also a type of processed product of Kombu. It is made by drying Kombu for one day, soaking it in vinegar water, making finely chopped Kombu into blocks, and shaving the cross-section of the block thinly. It has the same umami flavor that makes it the best Dashi stock substitute. A piece of dried Kombu is hard to cook in the right way whereas Tororo Kombu is ready to use as a  substitute. It is used as a topping on miso soup or noodle dishes before eating.

15. Dried Chicken Broth:

This powder is made from soup with stewed chicken. It tends to be used for both Chinese and Japanese cuisines. People often use Dried Chicken Broth for making Japanese-style Dashi. It also gives the same umami flavor. This Dried Chicken Broth contains more saltiness than Hondashi. We are suggesting you taste it carefully so that your recipe won’t be ruined due to the high level of salt.

FAQ:-

Now, you know the best Dashi Substitute. You can choose according to what you have in the kitchen or you can also buy from amazon. Please! comment down below your questions, and let us know how much informative is this article for you. 🙂