The word comes from the Japanese words for chile and pepper, and it tastes a little like a mixture of the two, but with a flavor that is all its own. Togarashi is one of my favorite seasonings and is used in many kinds of Japanese cooking, including sushi rolls. It is also good on grilled meats or fish. I just bought some at the local Asian market, but you can buy it online at amazon.com or eBay if you are interested in trying to make your own.
The seasoning comes in several varieties, including red (hot), black (mild), and white (also mild). The red version has cayenne pepper; the black and white versions are made with sesame seeds, ginger, and other spices.**\
Togarashi is a blend of spices which is commonly sprinkled on dishes in Japanese cooking. It is also frequently used to flavor other foods, such as pizza or popcorn. Togarashi comes from the Japanese word for “chili pepper,” and indeed most togarashi blends contain some kind of chili pepper. But there are many different varieties of togarashi available, and recipes for home-made togarashi do not necessarily include any chili peppers at all.
Togarashi is a Japanese seasoning that has been around for at least seven hundred years. It is one of the key ingredients in yum yum sauce, one of the two main sauces in traditional sushi preparation (the other being soy sauce).
But even if you don’t eat sushi, you can still enjoy the flavor of togarashi in your own cooking. The spice mix can be added to Western-style dishes as well, and can be used on seafood, meat, seafood or vegetables. If you have never tried this spicy condiment, it’s time you did!
Togarashi is a Japanese seasoning, a blend of chili peppers, orange peel, sesame seeds, seaweed and ginger. The name means “pungent” or “biting,” but in its purest form it is not especially hot. (It’s comparable to a mild red pepper.) The flavor is complex and layered, with citrus and floral notes.
In Japanese cuisine, it is used on grilled fish or chicken, as well as noodle dishes and soups. It can also be sprinkled on rice or pasta before serving. In Western cooking, it adds warmth to deviled eggs or potato salad. When used sparingly it makes simple fried eggs something exciting.
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I first encountered togarashi at Morimoto restaurant in Philadelphia in 2008 during a memorable omakase meal of Japanese food prepared by the chef Masaharu Morimoto—or rather by his young assistant chefs who were putting on an elaborate show of knife skills while he supervised from the bar. Togarashi seemed to be sprinkled on every other dish: on fish, of course, but also on a little pile of tiny roasted tomatoes; around an almost raw whitefish that was topped with freshly grated wasabi; over a rectangular slice of pork belly
Togarashi is a Japanese seasoning that has been around for over 1000 years. The name means “chili pepper” or “pepper” in Japanese and it is made from togarishi peppers, ground up with dried red peppers, sansho pepper and other spices.
Togarashi is usually sprinkled on soba noodles, omelettes, salads and soups. It can be found at almost every grocery store here in Tokyo, but I prefer to make my own. My dad taught me how when I was a kid and now I always keep some on hand.
It’s not that difficult. You just need some dried chili peppers (togarishi peppers), sesame seeds and shichimi (aka ichimi) which is a 7-spice mixture containing sansho pepper. Then you just grind everything up together with a mortar and pestle until it’s nice and fine!
Togarashi is a traditional Japanese seasoning consisting of dried red peppers, sticky rice flour and sugar. It is often used to top dishes and grilled meats. The word “togarashi” is from the verb “togasu”, which means to sprinkle or scatter.
The traditional Japanese seasonings were all originally derived from local herbs and spices, such as perilla leaves, ginger, yuzu citrus fruits, sesame seeds and seaweed. Togarashi is also derived from a natural herb called sansho pepper (Japanese prickly ash) that grows in many parts of Japan. It has a unique aroma and slight spicy flavor.
Togarashi is used in combination with other seasonings like soy sauce, miso paste and sesame oil to enhance the flavor of cooked fish, meat or vegetables. When used in cooked dishes it brings out the umami (pleasant savory taste) of foods and adds an interesting spicy kick.
A popular way to use it is on yakitori (grilled chicken skewers), tsukune (chicken meatballs) karaage (fried chicken nuggets), and nikujaga (beef and potato stew).
Most people know of togarashi as a Japanese-style hot sauce that is often sprinkled on fried chicken or fish. But it’s actually more closely related to a group of seasonings called shichimi tōgarashi.
Tō, which means seven in Japanese, originally referred to the seven ingredients in this spice blend, but nowadays it just refers to the reddish-brown color of the mix. Gara means chile pepper and shi means “ground”. So shichimi tōgarashi is “seven-chile powder”.
It’s also sometimes known as nanami togarashi, which simply refers to the fact that it contains several kinds of chiles in addition to ground red pepper. (Nanami also means “south.”) In English, nanami is being used as a name for a slightly different spice mix—one containing no ground red pepper—that has become increasingly popular in recent years.
Togarashi is a mixture of red pepper, ginger, and seaweed. It’s made into a fine powder that you sprinkle on all sorts of things, especially grilled fish.
It’s a kind of Japanese curry powder. It was invented by the samurai to give their food some kick. It’s spicy but not so much that it overwhelms the flavor of the fish. It also is delicious with grilled meat and vegetables.
