Regional spice blends
Shichimi togarashi
Japanese seven-flavour chilli: red chilli with sansho, citrus peel, sesame, nori and ginger, sprinkled on noodles and grills.
Also called: shichimi, seven-spice chilli, nanami togarashi, japanese seven spice, shichimi tōgarashi
Around the world: 七味唐辛子, 七味 (ja)
- Hot & numbing
- Citrus & bright
- Nutty & toasty
- Mild
Photo: Unknown author, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0-1.0)
Flavour and aroma
hot, citrusy, tingly, nutty. Moderate heat with tingling sansho, citrus and toasty sesame.
- Heat
- Mild
- Forms
- flakes
How to use it
use raw
Shake a little over udon, soba, gyudon, yakitori, miso soup or rice at the table; it is not usually cooked.
- Sprinkled on udon, soba and ramen
- Over gyudon, oyakodon and rice bowls
- On yakitori and grilled fish
- In miso soup and hotpots at the table
Identifying good quality
A coarse, red-orange mix with visible sesame seeds, flecks of orange peel and dark nori. Ichimi togarashi is plain ground chilli only.
- Not to be confused with Red chilli flakes: Plain chilli flakes lack the citrus, sesame and sansho.
Origin and history
Origin: Japan.. Grown and used: Used throughout Japan as a table condiment and sold internationally..
Shichimi togarashi ('seven-flavour chilli') is a Japanese table blend of coarse red chilli with sansho, dried citrus peel, black and white sesame, hemp or poppy seed, nori and ginger in varying combinations. Its sale is traditionally traced to Yagenbori, a shop in Edo (Tokyo) said to have first sold it in 1625; Kyoto and Nagano have their own famous makers.
Commonly told; not firmly documented
Recipes with shichimi togarashi
No recipes use it yet.