Ajinomoto Hondashi vs Dashi vs Shiro Dashi

When it comes to Japanese soup stock or dashi, in addition to regular dashi and Shiro Dashi, there is one more popular dashi in Japan, and that is “Hondashi (ほんだし)”.

As you may already know, it is correctly a product of seasoning mix from the Japanese food company “Ajinomoto (味の素)”.

Hondashi vs Dashi vs Shiro Dashi

The relationship between Ajinomoto Hondashi and dashi is similar to that of Mentsuyu and Kikkoman’s “Hon Tsuyu (本つゆ)”.

But how does Ajinomoto Hondashi differ from regular dashi stock and Shiro Dashi? Today, I did research about that, so here I will share the result.

Dashi (出汁, だし)

As I wrote before, there are 2 types of dashi in Japanese cuisine, “Dashi (出汁)” and “Dashi (だし)”. 

The former “Dashi (出汁)” is soup stock made from ingredients such as Kombu seaweed, Katsuobushi dried bonito flakes, and Niboshi dried sardines. This Dashi is commonly used in households around the country.

On the other hand, the latter “Dashi (だし)” is the Kansai-style liquid soup base made by combining “Dashi (出汁)” primarily from Kombu with light-colored soy sauce.

In addition to being prepared for making the broth of Japanese noodles, both dashi form the base of various Japanese dishes.

Shiro Dashi (白だし)

Next, Shiro Dashi is a light-colored soup stock made by combining “dashi (出汁)” from ingredients such as Kombu, Katsuobushi, and Shiitake mushrooms with seasonings such as white soy sauce, light-colored soy sauce, mirin, and sun-dried salt.

Shiro Dashi is a multipurpose liquid seasoning with a refined flavor favored by professional Japanese chefs.

Like Mentsuyu, it is diluted with water according to its use. One primary merit of using Shiro Dashi is that it can make the most of the original color of food materials thanks to its light clear hue.

Hondashi (ほんだし)

According to the official website of Ajinomoto, Hondashi is a powdered soup stock made with 3 different varieties of Katsuobushi flakes rich in fragrance, body, and taste.

As with regular dashi stock, these granules can be used in a wide range of dishes.

Ajinomoto Hondashi

Lastly, for those who want to find out more about Ajinomoto Hondashi, here is the in-depth information.

Ingredients

First, according to the ingredient list, the Ajinomoto Hondashi powder consists of salt, sugar, milk sugar, powdered Katsuobushi extract, yeast extract, fermented wheat protein, fermented yeast extract, and amino acid seasoning.

How to Use

The Hondashi powder is usually added to water before ingredients are simmered.

But if you want to give a dish, like Suimono soup, a clear fragrance of Katsuobushi, add the granules as a finishing touch.

For Dashi Stock

• If you want to make 4 servings of dashi stock, add 4 grams of Hondashi powder to a pot of 600 ml water (hot or cold) and heat it.

For Dishes

• For Miso Soup (4 Servings): combine 4 g Hondashi powder with 600 ml water, and 2 and 1/2 tablespoons miso
• For Nimono (2 Servings): combine 1 teaspoon Hondashi powder with 200 ml water, 2 tablespoons sake rice wine, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon mirin sweet cooking rice wine, and 1 tablespoon sugar
• For Mixed Rice (4 Servings) or Takikomi Gohan: combine 1 teaspoon Hondashi powder with 1 tablespoon sake, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 tablespoons mirin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 300 g rice
• For the broth of Udon or Soba (2 Servings): combine 2/3 teaspoon Hondashi powder with 600 ml water, 50 ml soy sauce, and 50 ml mirin
• For the broth of Oden (4 Servings): combine 1 and 1/2 tablespoon Hondashi powder with 1600 ml water, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons mirin, and 1/2 teaspoon salt