Gochugaru Pepper Flakes

Regional Japanese Hot Red Chili Pepper, naturally dried in the sun and milled into a powder. This full flavored chili is harvested at the peak of ripeness to preserve its signature bright red color from a select linage of the finest red chili peppers. This powerful chili pepper originated in Japan after Hideyoshi Toyotomi received them in 1592 as a reward for his service in the Korean Invasion.

Furikake was originally developed in Japan around 1912 by a pharmacist as a helpful solution to nutrition deficits. Then it was called Gohan No Tomo, A Friend for Rice. It was then a ground product to be sprinkled on top of cooked rice , vegetables, and fish. Over the last 100 years Furikake has been into the product we know today. Nori Goma Furikake is one of the most popular and basic Furikakes in Japan. Nori Goma Furikake has color , texture and a traditional taste. You get an emerald green look and a fresh sea taste from the small nori squares. A delightful crunch and nutty sesame taste from the Toasted White sesame seeds. A perfect balance of sweet and savory from a dash of sea salt and sugar. Use Aji Nori Furikake as a tasty topping for a variety of dishes.

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.

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.

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.