Add The Japanese Flavour With Togarashi
Togarashi (toh-gah-RAH-shee), also known as shichimi or Japanese seven spice, is a mix of ingredients combined to create a mouth-watering seasoning. Though the list may differ between recipe or supplier the common ingredients are; Cinnamon, garlic, ginger, paprika, poppy seeds, seaweed, sesame seeds, sichuan pepper, star anise, and white pepper.
How to use it?
Many people use this spice to substitute a hot sauce and add a bit of a kick to any dish. Because the spice doesn’t contain an acid element it can offer more complexity than chilli flakes or hot sauce alone. The flavour of togarashi is toasty but sweet and the sesame seeds offer a texture that complements the seaweed and ginger offers a bit of zing.
Some people surprisingly add shichimi on pizza or even popcorn. You can practically put it on anything you think will taste good. More traditionally, however, it is used on seared salmon, salads, cooked eggs, rice, roast vegetables, and seared chicken.
A brief history
This seasoning dates back centuries where it was used in both foods and for medicinal purposes. In 1625, the Yagenbori herbal shop, located in the Higashi-Nihonbashi district of Tokyo, first created shichimi togarashi. A mix of seven herbs and spices in what some call ‘7-flavoured pepper”. The mix was sold in both pharmacies as an herbal remedy and with street vendors who used it to season the food they sold. The mix was sold throughout Japan and become one of the best-selling products at festivals and gatherings outsides shrines and temples. Many manufacturers started producing shichimi which saw the recipes differ slightly from supplier to supplier, though the amazing taste stayed the same.
If you are looking to change your cooking and introduce a sweet spice with a strong kick then this is the mix to try. You can purchase this spice with a 100% satisfaction guarantee from Leena Spices.