Shichimi Togarashi Recipe (Japanese 7 Spice Blend)
Mix up your spice game and add this shichimi togarashi recipe to your pantry! Super spicy with a strong citrus flavor, this Japanese seven-spice blend is great for soups, marinades, salads, and snacks. Add Asian zing to any meal with this simple and flavorful homemade seasoning!
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What Do I Need to Make This Shichimi Togarashi Recipe?
Thanks to its flavorful combination of peppers and spices, this Japanese seasoning recipe is full of flavor. With a handful of simple ingredients, you can whip up a batch of fresh seasoning to use over and over again. To make your shichimi togarashi, you'll need:
- Dried seaweed flakes
- Crushed red pepper
- Dried lemon peel
- Poppy seeds
- Ground sansho pepper
- White sesame seeds
- Black sesame seeds
- Ground ginger
How Do I Make This Shichimi Togarashi Recipe?
Making spice blends is a great way to save money and add flavor to your meals. This Japanese seasoning is so simple to make. You can mix it up in minutes and store it in your pantry until you're ready to use it again. To make your own Japanese 7-spice blend, just follow these easy instructions.
Step One: Prepare the Seasoning
In a small bowl, stir together the seaweed flakes, crushed red pepper, dried lemon peel, poppy seeds, ground sansho Szechuan pepper, white sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, and ground ginger. Mix until the ingredients are well blended.
Step Two: Store the Blend
Transfer the seasoning blend to an airtight container and keep in a cool, dry place. Shake or stir the seasoning before using.
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What Is Shichimi Togarashi?
Also called Nanami, shichimi togarashi means "seven spices" in Japanese. It's a popular spice and condiment used in various Japanese recipes. This spicy seasoning adds heat and umami flavor to any recipe when used to season meals and snacks, like popcorn and rice cakes.
This spice blend has been around in Japan for hundreds of years. While different regions use different spices to create the blend's flavor, most recipes are made with sansho pepper. Similar to Sichuan pepper, sansho is a type of green pepper that is part of the citrus family. This pepper has a fruity, spicy flavor that gives Shichimi Togarashi its unique taste.
Is Shichimi Togarashi Spicy?
Since this seven-spice blend is prepared using a combination of crushed red pepper and sansho pepper, the flavor is very spicy. So, if you're not a fan of spice, this blend might not be for you! That's because both spices have such a strong flavor that there is no way to make it less spicy without leaving out the peppers altogether.
Japanese Seven Spice Recipe Ideas
While this seven-spice blend is simple to make, finding the ingredients to mix it up may not be as easy. Luckily, there are a few substitutions you can make to the ingredient list to help you prepare your own shichimi togarashi, no matter what items you have on hand.
- Use Szechuan pepper. If you don't have any sansho pepper on hand, you can also use Szechuan pepper to prepare this spice blend. The amount will stay the same no matter which type of pepper you use.
- Swap dried citrus peels. Lemon is a great option for adding some acidity to your spice blend. But any dried citrus peel will work to make your shichimi togarashi. Dried orange peel or a mix of citrus peels are great options if you don't have lemon peel.
- Make your own seaweed flakes. Can't find seaweed flakes at your grocery store? You can easily make your own by crushing half a sheet of dried seaweed until it's flaky.
- Adjust the sesame seed blend. This seasoning mix uses both white and black sesame seeds. But if you only have one type of seed on hand, don't worry! The total amount of sesame seeds should equal 4 teaspoons, which can be made up of a mix of both types or a single type of seed.
How Do You Store Japanese Seven Spice?
This recipe makes enough spice blend to be used in several recipes. That means you'll need to store the extra spices until you're ready to use it again. Simply transfer the extra spice to an airtight container, jar, or spice bottle and keep it in a cabinet or pantry. The spices will stay good for up to two months when stored properly.
Shichimi Togarashi Recipe Ideas
This popular spice is used in various Japanese recipes, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to spice up your meals! After you prepare your homemade seasoning, try using it on these dishes to add some spice to your lunch or dinner.
- Udon noodles
- Steamed rice
- Quinoa
- Grilled chicken
- Fish
- Soups
- Tempuras
- Salad dressing
- Marinade for meat
- Ramen noodles
- Rice bowls
- Tofu
- Miso soup
Schichimi Togarashi Recipe (Japanese 7 Spice Blend)
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Dried Seaweed Flakes nori
- 2 Tablespoons Crushed Red Pepper
- 1 Tablespoons Dried Lemon Peel
- ½ Tablespoon Poppy Seeds
- 2 Teaspoons Ground Sansho Pepper
- 2 Teaspoons White Sesame Seeds
- 2 Teaspoons Black Sesame Seeds
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and mix until fully combined,
- Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry pantry for up to 2 months.
Notes
You can use szechuan pepper instead of sansho, if preferred. The amount stays the same.
You can use dried orange peel or a mixture of dried citrus peel in place of the lemon. I like using the lemon because it’s a touch stronger, in my opinion.
For an easier way to get nori or seaweed flakes, you can crush half a sheet of dried seaweed to get the amount you need for this recipe. It tends to be the cheaper route as well, but you’ll have leftover seaweed sheets. They last a long time though!
You can do just white sesame seeds or just black sesame seeds. It doesn’t have to be both if you don’t have one or the other. Whatever you decide to do, it just needs to be a total of 4 teaspoons of sesame seeds.
