Recipe: Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese spice mix)

SHICHIMI TOGARASHI (JAPANESE SPICE MIX)

A sprinkle of this Japanese seven-spice mix on noodles, rice, soups, vegetables, grilled meat and fish, or you name it, adds a unique, peppy accent. It is composed of dried ground togarashi (red pepper flakes), sonsho (brown pepper pods), mandarin orange peel, black hemp seeds, white poppy seeds, nori (dark green seaweed), and white sesame seeds, and is available in mild, medium, and hot strengths at Japanese markets. Which one you choose to use is a matter of individual taste. We like it hot.

The berries, flowers, and leaves of the sansho, or Japan pepper-a handsome, graceful-looking small tree with spiny branches and fine leaves-are a prime ingredient of this traditional spice mix. The young red fruits are dried, and the bitter black seeds extracted. In China, the dried seedless berries, which have a wood-spicy flavor, are known as Sichuan pepper, and the plant is thought to have medicinal value for digestive disorders."

Although there is no substitute, if you want to attempt your own blend we suggest toasting:

1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
1 small dried hot red chili

Then grind together with:
1 teaspoon dried orange peel
1 teaspoon crushed dried dark green seaweed

Or you can simply substitute cayenne pepper, but it is no match for either the real thing or your own blend.

Serves 6 as a main bowl
Source: BowlFood Cookbook by Lynne Aronson and Elizabeth Simon