Homemade Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese Seven-Spice Blend)
A bright, citrusy, gently numbing Japanese seven-spice blend made from toasted orange peel, sansho, chili flakes, two kinds of sesame, nori and ginger. Fresher and more aromatic than store-bought, and ready in under 30 minutes.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Wait
- 35 min
- Total
- 1 hr
- Makes
- About ⅓ cup (40 g), roughly 24 one-half-teaspoon servings
Steps
Before you start
- Dried orange or mandarin peel must be fully brittle. If using fresh peel, dry it first (see Substitutions and Make ahead notes) or the blend will clump and spoil.
- Sansho (Japanese pepper) is the signature numbing note; buy ground sansho or whole dried berries from a Japanese grocer or online. Sichuan peppercorn is a stronger substitute.
- Have a spice grinder or mortar and pestle ready, and wipe it clean first so no other spice flavors carry over.
- Work in a well-ventilated kitchen: grinding chili and sansho can make fine dust that irritates the nose and eyes.
Dry the orange peelOven 200°F / 95°C
- Heat the oven to 200°F (95°C).
- Spread the orange peel pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet and dry for 10 minutes to remove any remaining moisture.
- Skip this only if the peel already snaps cleanly in two.
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Ready when: Peel snaps crisply when bent, with no chewy or leathery give
Tip: Watch closely; peel that darkens or smells burnt will make the blend bitter.
Cool the peel
- Remove the sheet from the oven and let the peel cool completely on the pan, about 10 minutes.
- Warm peel releases steam in the grinder and makes the blend clump.
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Ready when: Peel feels completely cool to the touch
Toast the sesame
- Place the white and black sesame seeds in a dry 8-inch (20 cm) skillet over medium-low heat.
- Stir or shake constantly for 3 to 4 minutes until the white seeds turn pale golden and smell nutty.
- The black seeds will smell toasty and may pop slightly.
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Ready when: White seeds are pale golden and nutty-smelling; a few begin to pop
Tip: Pour the seeds onto a cool plate right away; hot pan residue keeps cooking them.
Toast the chili and sansho
- In the same skillet over low heat, toast the chili flakes and sansho together for 1 minute, stirring constantly, just until fragrant.
- Tip onto a plate to cool.
- Keep the heat low; chili flakes scorch fast and turn acrid.
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Ready when: Spices smell aromatic and slightly citrusy, and the chili color deepens slightly without browning
Tip: Turn on the vent fan; the fumes can make you cough.
Toast the nori
- If using a nori sheet, wave it over a low flame or hold it in a dry skillet over low heat for 10 to 15 seconds per side until crisp and deep green, then crumble it very finely.
- Aonori flakes can be used as they are.
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Ready when: Nori is crisp and shatters when crumbled
Tip: Nori burns in seconds, so never walk away.
Cool the toasted spices
- Let the sesame, chili and sansho cool completely on a plate, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Grinding warm spices releases oils and creates a pasty texture.
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Ready when: Spices are room temperature to the touch
Grind the peel
- Grind the cooled orange peel in the spice grinder in 3-second pulses for about 15 seconds, or crush with a mortar and pestle, until it looks like coarse crumbs with some fine powder.
- Sift through a fine-mesh sieve and regrind any large pieces.
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Ready when: No pieces larger than a flake of coarse salt remain
Tip: Pulse rather than run continuously, which can heat the peel and make it sticky.
Crush the sesame and chili
- Pulse the sesame seeds 2 or 3 times, or lightly crush in a mortar, so about half of the seeds are cracked but many remain whole for texture.
- Lightly crush the chili flakes the same way only if they are very coarse.
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Ready when: Roughly half of the sesame seeds are cracked and the rest are whole; no oily paste
Tip: Over-grinding sesame turns it into tahini-like paste and ruins the sprinkle texture.
Mix the blend
- In a small bowl, combine the ground orange peel, sesame, chili, sansho, nori and ginger.
- Stir with a spoon for 30 seconds until evenly distributed.
- Taste a pinch on a spoon and adjust: add more chili for heat, more peel for brightness, or more sansho for tingle.
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Ready when: Even speckled mix of red, orange, green and black with a bright citrus and pepper aroma
Tip: Taste in tiny amounts; sansho can numb your tongue and mask other flavors.
Jar and rest
- Transfer to a clean, dry 4-oz (120 ml) jar and seal.
- Let it rest for 24 hours before first use so the flavors meld, although it is perfectly good right away.
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Ready when: Jar is sealed and the blend is dry and loose, not clumped
Good to know
Tips
- Toast each spice separately so the delicate ones are not scorched while the sesame finishes.
- Grind in small batches; a crowded spice grinder produces uneven, powdery results.
- Sprinkle over udon, soba, yakitori, grilled meats, rice, soups, or even popcorn and roasted vegetables just before serving to keep the aromatics bright.
- Start with ¼ teaspoon per serving and add more to taste; heat and numbing build gradually.
Make ahead
"The blend can be made up to 1 month ahead. To dry fresh orange or mandarin peel yourself, strip the zest in wide strips without white pith, then bake at 200°F (95°C) for 45 to 60 minutes until brittle, and cool before using."
Storage & reheating
Store in an airtight glass jar away from heat and light. Keeps best for 2 to 3 months at room temperature, and up to 6 months in the refrigerator or freezer (let the jar come to room temperature before opening to avoid condensation). No reheating needed; sprinkle directly onto food. Flavor and aroma fade over time.
Substitutions
- ground sansho (Japanese pepper) → Sichuan peppercorn, husks only, ground. Use about ¾ teaspoon; it is more numbing and slightly more floral.
- dried orange peel (or dried mandarin peel) → Dried yuzu peel or dried tangerine peel. Yuzu gives the most authentic aroma; use the same volume.
- coarse red chili flakes (such as Japanese ichimi or Korean gochugaru coarse) → Cayenne or crushed red pepper. Cayenne is hotter, so use 1½ teaspoons instead of 2 tablespoons if using fine ground.
- toasted nori (aonori flakes, or 1 sheet of nori) → Hemp seeds or poppy seeds. Use for a nut-free, seaweed-free version; you will lose the sea flavor.