One of the things I love most about cooking is how versatile each ingredient can be. We have access to so many new ingredients which we can use in many different ways - some less traditional than others. I love trying out different recipes with Asian ingredients and sweet soy sauce was what I needed! I went in search of sweet soy sauce but the entire city seemed to be suffering from a sweet soy sauce draught. So when I found myself in Honeycomb at Union Market in Washington DC I was delighted to find that not only did they have sweet soy sauce, they also had this wonderful seasoning called Togarashi. What is Togarashi? Well, its sugar and spice and everything nice (ps- there is no sugar in Togarshi)! So I picked up a jar and decided to get adventourous! Looking to the all knowing internet for answers as to what Togarashi really is I found that there are different types of Togarashi - Shichimi Togarashi and Nanami Togarashi. The type I have is the Shichimi Togarashi.
While blends may vary it usually contains:
coarsely ground red chili pepper (the main ingredient)
ground sanshÅ ("Japanese pepper")
roasted orange peel
black sesame seed
white sesame seed
hemp seed
ground ginger
nori or aonori (seaweed)
Having made this delighful new purchase, I brought it home and stared at it in doubt. The bright red colour hinted at a level of spice that I may not be able to handle and none of my cookbooks seemed to have anything on this mysterious ingredient from the East! So it sat on a shelf for two weeks until I had a friend over and I made her my tuna carpaccio (recipe coming soon!). There was no looking back after that! Togarashi, the nice man at Honeycomb told me is a table condiment like salt and pepper, its supposed to be sprinkled over Japanese style noodles or udon. Once I understood the kind of flavour it has I've been using it in a variety of ways. So here are some things you can do with Togarashi.
1. Making an avocado on toast - why not sprinkle some on to finish? Infact, if you are entertaining guests over the holidays, why not swap out the toast for baguette crisps (buy it or try this recipe), spread the avocado over the top and Togarshi to season. The red and green contrast is definitely an eye catcher! If you love smoked salmon as much as I do, add some smoked salmon to the mix with a bit of Togarashi and lemon!
2. Poached egg for breakfast - well instead of just pepper, try some Togarashi on top.
3. I made some pea soup and wanted it to have a bit of a kick - in comes Togarashi just dusted on top.
4. Making popcorn for movie night, toss it with some Togarashi for a spiced up version!
5. I had a lot of bread left over from a barbecue so I made croutons. Want some gourmet style spicy croutons - sprinkle some Togarashi over the top before you pop the croutons into the oven. These are great for a salad!
6. Liven up some steamed veggies with this miracle spice! Just drizzle over olive oil and sprinkle this over the top.
7. Try it sprinkled over some chilled gazpacho!
8. And my new favourite way to use my beloved Togarashi - bloody mary any one?
Post below and share how you used this wonderful, vibrant spice!
Ingredients
2 cups tomato juice
1 teaspoon horseradish (I had a packet of wasabi paste leftover from a sushi lunch and I swapped it out for the horseradish. A warning here though - wasabi from different brands have different heat levels, so be careful the measurements may not be accurate as one brand may use a purer form of wasabi)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons shichimi togarashi + extra for garnish and decoration
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
150 ml vodka
celery stalks
ice
Process
1. prepare the glass - spread some Togarshi on a chopping board. Moisten the edge of the glass and rub the edges over the Togarashi.
2. Mix the vodka, horseradish (or wasabi) and the tomato juice and taste. Season with the salt if needed.Tomato juice usually has salt so depending on the type you have, you may not need to add the salt. Add the Togarashi and the lemon juice.
3. Pour the mixture over some ice in the prepared glass.
4. Add the celery stalk and a tiny sprinkle of Togarshi over the top.
Cheers!
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