Shichimi Togarashi (Sesame-Orange Spice Blend) (Recipe #127)

        The America’s Test Kitchen Vegan for Everybody cookbook has a few recipes in the beginning of the book highlighting a variety of things. On one page, they have a section called “Blend it up.” This section highlights two recipes that are used as a finishing touch to a dish. I made the spice blend shichimi togarashi to top my shiitake ramen. This recipe recommends using this spice blend on the shiitake ramen, on rice, or other noodle dishes.

This spice blend consists of dried orange zest, sesame seeds, paprika, pepper, garlic powder, ground ginger, and cayenne pepper. I thought this spice had a very interesting combination of citrus and spice. I did not think that the ramen needed additional flavor, but I can see why this spice would be useful in plain noodle or rice dishes. 

Taste: 10/10

Level of difficulty: 1/5

Notes for next time: I would love to try this with white rice!