Ajinomoto Soup Stock Hondashi

I got this for a few different Japanese recipes I made last week and very happy with the taste and quality of this brand. I was a little disappointed at how small the bottle was when I received it but that is my own fault for not paying attention to the size listed when ordering it.

I lived in Japan for 20 years but don’t live near an oriental market now. Hondashi is indispensable for making miso soup.

Easy to use and tastes great. We use it for our takoyaki batter flavoring and this branch did well. Sometimes instant dashi can have an odd butterness to ut compared to when you make it yourself, but I did not experience that with this product.

Tasty umami dashi as advertised great for making miso soup!

This stuff is like the Swiss Army knife of savory seasonings in my kitchen. Sure, it's not going to give you that deep, complex umami you get from properly made dashi with kombu and katsuobushi - but honestly, who's making that at 6:30 on a Wednesday night?I've found myself reaching for the Hondashi way beyond Japanese cooking. Throw a pinch into any soup or stew that needs a savory boost. It works surprisingly well with Better Than Bouillon to create this powerful one-two punch of umami - I do this combo in everything from quick ramen to pot roast. Last week I even sprinkled some into my mushroom risotto and it really amplified those earthy flavors.The powder dissolves instantly and doesn't leave any weird fishy taste, just that pure umami backbone. Think of it as MSG's more sophisticated cousin. Only reason it's not getting 5 stars is because yeah, real dashi is noticeably better - but this is so convenient and versatile that it's earned its spot in my everyday cooking arsenal. Just don't make the mistake of using it for a proper chawanmushi or other delicate Japanese dishes where dashi is the star. Keep some proper dashi on hand for those.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Good product

Very good I like it's lower in sodium

I don't have an Asian market near me, so I love that this is on Amazon