Shichimi
Ichimi
In Japanese cuisine, ichimi refers to ichimi togarashi, which is similar to chili pepper. “Ichi” means “one, ” and “mi” means “flavor” in Japanese. Ichimi refers to a simple seasoning made exclusively from chili peppers. Since ichimi is made solely from red chili peppers, it delivers a strong, direct heat. It’s like adding heat without significantly altering the dish’s original flavor and is the perfect spice to use when you want to add heat rather than aroma to your food. It is often used in small amounts as a finishing touch for dishes such as soba, udon, yakitori, and stewed offal. The main component responsible for its spiciness is capsaicin, and the more you use, the more intense the heat becomes. In Japanese cuisine, “shichimi” refers to shichimi togarashi, a unique Japanese spice blend made by combining chili peppers with approximately six other spices. “Shichi” refers to the number 7 in Japanese. The typical blend consists of chili peppers combined with Sansho pepper, sesame seeds, dried tangerine peel, poppy seeds, green nori, and hemp seeds. The ingredients and proportions vary by store and manufacturer, so even within the same shichimi blend, each has its own unique character — some emphasize heat, while others emphasize aroma. It is characterized by a flavor profile that is more complex and aromatic than that of ichimi. In addition to the heat of the chili peppers, the numbing sensation of sansho pepper, the nutty aroma of sesame, and the refreshing scent of dried tangerine peel combine to create a multi-layered flavor. When sprinkled on soba, udon, pork miso soup, hot one-pot dishes, or yakitori, shichimi releases its aroma and adds depth to the flavor. If you’re interested, you could try comparing the differences between ichimi and shichimi yourself.
What kind of impression do you have when you say Japanese food?
You may imagine healthy, colorful, beautiful, high quality, traditional, etc. Can you imagine cooking Japanese food at home? Most people may think that it is difficult.
However, we think otherwise. Therefore, here at J-Simple Recipes (Japanese Simple Recipes) we have prepared recipes for traditional Japanese dishes and international dishes with a Japanese twist which can easily be made at home.
It may be difficult to obtain all Japanese foodstuffs and seasonings, so we have included substitutions you can make. If you cannot get any Japanese foodstuffs or seasonings at the shops in your neighborhood, you can purchase them at numerous sites on the Internet.
At J-Simple Recipes, we have three keywords: “Simple,” “Healthy” and “Delicious.”
We want you to continue to cook Japanese food for a long time, so we have made the recipes simple.
Because the Japanese cuisine has many low-calorie foods, you can have a healthy meal naturally and may not gain weight even if you eat a little too much.
You may think that healthy and easy- to-cook food is not delicious, but that is not so with J-Simple Recipes.
J-Simple Recipes includes some international dishes with a Japanese twist, too. for example, even if you are just frying meat or vegetables, you can add soy sauce as the final seasoning in order to give any international dish a Japanese twist. So you can easily begin to like Japanese food.
Everyone has their own eating traditions, but if you add just a few Japanese recipes, your cooking experience will expand.
So please enjoy cooking Japanese food.