Pantry guide
Best Shichimi tōgarashi for home cooking
What Shichimi tōgarashi is for, which kitchens use it, and where to find a jar worth cooking with.
Why cooks start here
Seven flavors shaken over noodles: chile, sanshō, orange peel, sesame, nori, and heat you can see.
In the International Cuisines books, Shichimi tōgarashi is not decoration. Add it where the recipe puts it: early if it needs fat and time, late if it is perfume.
Taste Shichimi tōgarashi before you empty the spoon. Fresh jars smell like themselves; tired ones smell like dust. Buy the smallest amount you will finish.