I’m a huge fan of noodles and rice; they are pretty much the staples of my diet. Both can be enhanced with Furikake, a traditional Japanese seasoning. I only discovered it a couple of years ago, and now, I swear by it. For me, it’s the gastronomic equivalent of crack.

(Image credit: Food. Booze. Internet. Japan.)

Furikake typically contains salt, sesame seeds, nori (seaweed) and dried fish flakes (bonito). I like to add some sugar for sweetness.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of sesame seeds.
• 1 tsp of sugar. This is entirely optional.
• 2 tablespoons of salt. I use black lava salt, but that’s mostly for presentation purposes.
• Nori, about 5 sheets.
• 5 tablespoons of bonito flakes. You can add a bit more, but since these are fish flakes, they are somewhat of an acquired taste.

Steps

• In a hot non-stick pan, dry roast the sesame seeds. Make sure not to burn them; toss and shake until they are slightly coloured and fragrant.
• Transfer the seeds to a clean bowl and add the salt and optional sugar. Shake and allow to cool.
• Cut the nori into flakes. The size is completely up to you; I prefer to to make the flakes no longer than half a centimetre since Furikake is meant to be sprinkled with your fingers.
• Add the nori and bonito flakes to the bowl and mix thoroughly.
• Store in an airtight jar.

That’s it, dead simple. The whole process takes less than ten minutes, and it’s well worth it. Furikake works well as a condiment on rice, noodles, meat, fish and even soups.