photo by george billard

If you’ve ever been out for Japanese food (not just sushi, but maybe soba or yakitori or hot pots), you may have noticed a little red shaker on the condiment tray. That’s shichimi togarashi, a Japanese spice blend traditionally eaten on noodles, soups and stews. It’s made from a combination of seven spices (shichi means seven in Japanese), most commonly ground red chili pepper, dried orange peel, black sesame, white sesame, ginger, ground sansho, and nori flakes or powder. You’ll often also see a little green shaker alongside, and that’s just plain sansho, a berry from the prickly ash tree that is a relative of the Sichuan peppercorn. It has that same peppery-piney flavor that leaves a slight tingle on the tongue. You can find both these condiments at any Japanese market, or online at Japanese food specialty sites.

Here are a few ideas on how to use these deliciously spiced shakes:

on rice

on scrambled eggs

on soups

on roast chicken

on noodles

on nuts

on grilled fish

on grilled lamb chops

and pretty much anywhere you would add pepper or need a little kick of flavor

photo by george billard

Here’s a recipe if you’d like to try making your own.

SHICHIMI TOGARASHI

3 teaspoons ground red chili pepper

3 teaspoons sansho powder

1 teaspoon nori flakes

3 teaspoons dried orange peel

1 teaspoon white sesame seeds

1 teaspoon black sesame seeds

1 teaspoon ground ginger

Mix all the ingredients together and store in a jar or covered shaker. Other additions or substitutions might include poppy seeds, dried yuzu peel, hemp seeds, rapeseed or garlic. FYI: sesame seeds are high in unsaturated fatty acids and protein.