Recipe Note

What is Togarashi? The Most Exciting Spice Blend in Japan!

Japanese food is all about freshness and purity of flavours. After all, Japanese cooks are authentic masters capable of crafting extraordinary meals with the most straightforward ingredients.

Of course, one of the most exciting secrets behind the revered Japanese cuisine is its spices. Used sparingly and with precision, a wide variety of herbs, seaweed and spices are critical ingredients in many delectable dishes.

If there’s one Japanese spice mix to know, that’s the togarashi, a well-rounded blend of chilli peppers and other spices that elevates ramen, rice, stews and fish to thrilling heights. Here’s all you need to know about togarashi.

The Ancient History of Togarashi

Togarashi is the Japanese term for hot chilli peppers. And although all peppers from the Capsicum annuum family come from America, some arrived in the ancient city of Edo, now Tokyo, as far back as the 17th century.

Spice traders soon saw potential in the pungent fruit. They dried and powdered it to create a tasty spice! What started as simple ground chilli peppers, a spice known as ichi-ni tōgarashi, soon became part of the most sophisticated spice blends in the country of the rising sun.

Some experts believe the first shichi-mi tōgarashi, or seven-flavour spice mix, was crafted in a Japanese temple. What we do know is that it became insanely popular and the ace up the sleeve for renowned cooks in the country. This fantastic seven-flavour spice blend inspired Spice Masters to create our Togarashi and share it with home cooks all around the UK.

How to Use Togarashi?

Using togarashi is easy. The blend is spicy, yes, but it’s artistically balanced by citrus scents and other aromatics that make it instantly appealing. Togarashi is a fantastic dry rub for chicken, fish and seafood, and combined with a few tablespoons of olive oil; the blend becomes a colourful and exotic marinade.

Just a tablespoon of togarashi to a bowl of ramen noodles or a meaty stew is enough to infuse the food with the most umami-rich flavours that just taste like Japan. With togarashi, a little goes a long way, which means you won’t run out on Spice Masters Togarashi any time soon!

Togarashi, the Seven-Flavour Spice Mix

Togarashi is undoubtedly an interesting mix of flavours, and there’s no doubt it can take any meal to extraordinary heights, even if they’re not of Asian inspiration. The real question is, what are the ingredients behind this impressive spicy mix? Once a closely guarded secret, here are the famous seven flavours behind authentic togarashi.

1.   Chilli Peppers

The main ingredient in a togarashi spice blend is red chilli peppers, dried and grounded into a fine, colourful powder.

All hot peppers start as green fruit and turn red as they ripen. And although there are several hot peppers used in togarashi blends, and they can have distinct levels of spiciness, the peppers must be of the highest quality. The real work for an expert spice blender is balancing the heat in the chilli peppers with the rest of the ingredients.

2.   Citrus Peels

Dried citrus peels have immense concentrations of aromatic oils reminiscent of summer and bright, sunny days. Spice Masters’ Togarashi blend combines the sweet scents of premium-quality orange and lemon peels to add depth of flavour to the spice mix.

Citrus fruit is native to the Southeast foothills of the Himalayas and evolved in what is now Northern India and Southwest China. The aromatic fruit arrived in Japan during the late Edo Period, most probably in the early 1600s. Spicy blends using citrus peels are often called Nagami-togarashi.

3.   White Sesame Seeds

Sesame seeds are nutty and quite savoury despite their tiny size. The seeds play a critical role in Japanese cooking, and not only as a garnish, as the seeds are also pressed to make nutty cooking oil and other preparations.

Interestingly, sesame seeds were already prized 4,000 years ago in ancient Babylon and were widely used by Egyptians and Persians alike. Today, the largest sesame importer is, of course, Japan, and it’s easy to see why the flavourful seeds are critical in many recipes, including the togarashi spice blend.

4.   Black Sesame Seeds

Although many people think black sesame seeds are roasted white sesame seeds, they’re a unique variety in their own right. Much more intense and fragrant, this type of dark seed is still protected by its thin hull, unlike white sesame seeds, so it has added nutritional benefits.

Black sesame seeds are behind some of the most successful togarashi spices, not only for their contrasting colour but also for their richness.

5.   Sichuan Peppercorns

Sichuan peppercorns are not peppercorns at all, but they really come from the Chinese province of Sichuan, known for its spicy cuisine. These unique peppercorns are actually berries and are more closely related to citrus fruit than to black peppercorns.

Still, what makes Sichuan peppercorns extraordinary is their unmatched ability to numb your senses, literally. The peppercorns have a natural compound that causes a strangely appealing numbness in your tongue and lips.

6.   Ginger

Perhaps the most fragrant ingredient in Spice Masters’ Togarashi spice blend is ginger. The plant’s rhizome is more than a flavour enhancer; it has been used in traditional medicine for centuries.

Ginger is just larger than life and blesses with its sweet, spicy scent everything it touches. If there’s a spice to balance the heat from chilli peppers, that’s ginger. Of course, ginger has been part of Japanese cooking since before the modern era.

7.   Seaweed

The final but not less important ingredient in a traditional togarashi mix is seaweed or nori. The nutrient-rich alga adds to the mix an earthy flavour and the most attractive umami-rich flavours, the term used for savoury deliciousness.

You’ve certainly tried seaweed in sushi and noodles, but when used as a condiment, the dark aquatic plant truly shines. Seaweed rounds the togarashi blend beautifully for a life-changing spice mix as flavourful as it is versatile.

Make Togarashi Part of Your Everyday Cooking!

Now that you know all there is to know about the famous spicy Japanese spice blend, it’s time to give togarashi a leading role in your spice rack. Enjoy Spice Masters Togarashi spice blend and elevate your cooking to new heights quickly and easily!