Written by: Jin Fujisaki / Published: 2026-02-24
When you start to grow tired of the familiar hot pot broths lining the supermarket shelves, take a peek at the shelf of "Moheji," Kaldi's Japanese food brand. Tucked away there, quietly but with undeniable substance, you'll find the "Scallop & Clam Umami Dashi Hot Pot Base."
Flip the package over, and its impressive credentials become immediately clear. The base is built on two kinds of shellfish extract: scallop and clam. Add to that the two heavyweights of Japanese cuisine — kombu (kelp) extract and bonito extract — and you have a quartet of umami working in synergy. The broth is a clear golden hue with a light salt and usukuchi (light) soy sauce base. Precisely because the seasoning is simple and unforgiving, just one sip will surprise you with the overwhelming seafood flavor and richness that floods your mouth.
| Friendly for solo diners too: the convenience of "concentrated, individually packaged" portions
image: Kaldi
Most ready-to-use hot pot broths sold in stores come in large "3-4 servings" pouches, which can be too much for people living alone or smaller households. This product, however, has a remarkably smart configuration: "concentrated liquid base, 40g × 2 packets."
Just dilute one packet (40g) with 400ml of water, and a small hot pot for 1-2 people is ready in a flash. Whether it's a "I just want a quick solo hot pot tonight" kind of day or a moment when the family wants just a small bowl of soup, the design lets you use it up without waste depending on your lifestyle — a hugely welcome point for today's busy lifestyles.
| Dieters rejoice. An astonishing "approx. 31 kcal per packet"
image: Kaldi
Another hidden charm of this hot pot base is its healthiness. Rich hot pot broths like tonkotsu, sesame soy milk, or kimchi tend to be surprisingly high in calories and fat, but this one is a clear soup that extracts the umami of shellfish, so it contains almost no oil. Astonishingly, it's only about 31 kcal per packet (※based on the product packaging) — an incredibly low calorie count.
Throw in plenty of white fish, tofu, Chinese cabbage, mushrooms and the like, simmer it all together, and you have the ultimate diet hot pot that fills you up with zero guilt. The dashi from the ingredients dissolves further into the broth, and the longer it simmers the more delicious it becomes — that's the real joy of a seafood hot pot.
| Not just for hot pot. Transmuting it into an exquisite "Oyster Takikomi Gohan"
image: Kaldi
A quietly trending tip among SNS users and Kaldi fans is using this base for a "takikomi gohan" (Japanese mixed rice). Place rinsed rice, water, and this "Scallop & Clam Umami Dashi Hot Pot Base" into your rice cooker, top it with frozen oysters from the supermarket (or any seafood or mushrooms you like), and just press the button.
The moment you lift the lid after cooking, the aroma of seafood worthy of a high-end restaurant fills the entire room. The shellfish extract soaks deeply into every grain of rice, transmuting it into a takikomi gohan of moving deliciousness. It's no wonder that there's a growing crowd of repeat buyers who say, "I actually buy this base for the takikomi gohan, not the hot pot" — it's that diabolically good of an arrangement recipe.
| Summary: Overwhelming culinary happiness for just a couple hundred yen
image: Macaroni
The price is in the low 200-yen range (tax included) per pack (containing two servings) (※varies by store and season). At a little over 100 yen per serving, considering how deep and authentic a seafood dashi you can enjoy, the cost performance is top-class.
The "Scallop & Clam Umami Dashi Hot Pot Base" is a magical elixir that, with nothing more than your usual vegetables and tofu, instantly elevates your dining table to fine-restaurant quality. If you spot it at Kaldi, I highly recommend tossing two into your basket — one "for the hot pot" and one "for the takikomi gohan."
