Akajiso (Shiso) Bulk Leaf

Japan has been refining the original British curry recipe since it arrived in Japan over 100 years ago. The modern Japanese culinary scene is saturated with curry stands and it is the second most consummed dish behind sushi. This regional, northern 10-spice Yellow curry style, found in the Akita Prefecture is the closest of the three yellow curries we carry to the Indian style, but is still very uniquely Japanese. It is the hottest of the yellow curries, but in general, Japanese curry is not as hot as the Indian counterparts. The base of Turmeric, Coriander and Cumin provide a vegetal aroma and a deep earthy flavor. The spice comes from black pepper, regional red chili peppers and ginger root, while the plentiful cardamom mellows with sweeteness. Fennel seed adds the licorice flavor and aroma. This refined and perfected yellow curry balances a ratio of 5 main spices with 5 trace sub spices is extremely popular in this region.

Prized in Japan for being the fleshiest of berries, they are collected while still green in May. These berries are a burst of flavor consisting of citronella, Meyer lemon, mint, black pepper with a lingering numbness left on the tongue. A fun, vibrant ingredient to expand the flavor profile of any creation.

Premium green matcha from Shizuoka Prefecture picked from the first harvest is blended with one of the most acclaimed sea salts in Japan. This salt is made with what the Japanese classify as "Snow Salt". They find it to be the purest sea salt available and its fine granuals deliver flavor to each application faster and more uniformly, a wonderfully versatile texture. The complex, vegetal, sweet and slightly bitter, alluring taste of matcha makes this salt so unique. The vibrant color and delicate flavor give a sophisticated finishing touch to a broad range of dishes. Traditionally, used as dipping salt for tempura but also recommend for garnishing on sashimi, or other protiens, rice dishes, deserts or pastries.

Shichimi Togarashi is a fundamental 7-spice blend with tremendous history and importance throughout Japanese cuisine and represents the history and cultural refinement of this great cuisine. Shichimi Togarashi is a 7 spice blend developed in Edo (Modern Day Tokyo), Japan in 1625. The ingredients were first introduced to the Japanese by Portuguese missionaries around 1605. Over the past 400 years, these spice cultivators and craftsman have been able to refine farming practices and proprietary blending ratios that would make their ancestors proud. The seven prized ingredients that make up Shichimi Togarashi are Bansho Chili Pepper, Chimpi Japanese Mandarin Orange, Goma Toasted Black Sesame, Otane Hemp Seed, Shiso Japanese Basil, Sansho Chili Pepper and Byakukyo Japanese Ginger. The aroma is highlighted by the warmth given off by the chilies and the floral essence of the mandarin orange. The clean spicy flavors of the dried peppers standout, but are balanced with toasted black sesame, hemp seed and herbal characteristics of the dried shiso. The ginger is also a welcomed addition to this blend and offer a different type of spiciness, acidity and subtle sweetness. This blend is a pillar of this revered cuisine.

Mustard plants are very rare in Japan. Japanese mustard seeds are very high quality seeds with powerful aroma & flavors. Wagarashi has a very hot mustard taste opposed to western mustards. Japanese Hot Wagarashi mustard powder consists of only ground yellow/brown Japanese mustard seeds. Traditional hot Japanese mustard is made by only adding water to milled seed powder which yields a very straight forward spicy flavor and allows it to be used well with a variety of other ingredients across many applications.