Shichimi Togarashi is a cayenne-based spice mix used in Japan, often as a condiment for noodle dishes and grilled eel, where the capsaicin complements the oiliness of those dishes. I love the flavour of shichimi, and decided to make a vegetable ferment inspired by it.
Shichimi (七味) means seven-flavour and togarashi (唐辛子) is the Japanese word for chili peppers (Capsicum annuum), that new world crop that has now become an important feature in cuisines around the world, despite its late introduction, by Portuguese traders in the 16th century. According to historian Naomichi Ishige, the spice arrived in Japan on Portuguese ships in 1542, where it “gradually replaced black pepper as the powdered seasoning customarily sprinkled over noodle dishes”. But for a cuisine largely devoid of fat, cayenne was for too strong to be used as a spice by itself, which might explain why various establishments around Japan started making their own spice mixes, combining cayenne powder with spices and aromatics native to the Japanese islands. These spice mixes came to be known as shishimi togarashi, because they contained seven ingredients. However, because they were developed independently from one another, other than its namesake spice, the chili pepper, the ingredients in shichimi togarashi differ considerably, from region to region, and brand to brand.
Today, as Naomichi Ishige explains:
[shichimi togarashi] is used […] as a tabletop spice, much as Westerners use black pepper. Cayenne was rarely used in other ways because the Japanese, who generally did not eat meats or fats, found it much too spicy for their liking. In recent years the consumption of cayenne has grown in step with the increase in meat consumption.
Three Famous Variations
Three of the oldest establishments to sell cayenne-based spice mixes are still in business today: Yagenbori, founded in Tokyo in 1625, Shichimiya Honpo, started in Kyoto in 1655, Yawataya Isogoro, with a slightly later start in 1737, in Nagano. For the sake of comparison, and to help you decide how you would like to construct your own seven flavours, here are their respective recipes:
Yagenbori (やげん堀)
- Black sesame seeds
- Unshu mikan (Satsuma orange) peel
- Japanese sansho pepper
- Dried chili
- Roasted dry chili
- Hemp seeds
- Poppy seeds
Shichimiya Honpo (七味家本舗)
- Dried chili
- Black sesame seeds
- White sesame seeds
- Dried shiso
- Hemp seeds
- Green laver (aonori)
- Japanese sansho pepper
Yawataya Isogoro (八幡屋礒五郎)
- Dried chili
- Dried ginger
- Dried shiso
- Japanese sansho pepper
- Unshu mikan (Satsuma orange) peel
- Black sesame seeds
- Hemp seeds
Choose Your Own Adventure
Remember reading those Choose Your Own Adventure books as a kid? Well, this is the spice version! As you make this recipe, feel free to add or substitute any of the ingredients on my list with some from the recipes above. For example, I could not get my hands on sansho pepper (Zanthoxylum piperitum), but I would love to try it if I can find some. You can also use Sichuan peppers, which are close relatives, and (supposedly) have a similar taste. I used lemon zest, but you could use mandarin or orange zest instead. In terms of seeds, I used white sesame seeds and poppy seeds, but next time, I might try hemp and black sesame. Have fun and experiment!
Kraut-Making Fundamentals
Here are a few guidelines for the fermentation novices out there. Don’t worry, you’ll be a master in no time! And if you’re already familiar with making vegetable ferments, feel free to skip over this section!
#1 Chopping
Although not necessary for fermentation per se, chopping your vegetables creates more surface area from which to draw out its juices. Since kraut usually relies on dry-salting rather than brining, the finer the chop, the easier it is to pack and submerge the vegetables in step 3.
#2 Salting
Salt is important for four reasons. 1) Through osmosis, it helps draw water out of your vegetables, to create an anaerobic (no oxygen) environment for lactic acid bacteria to grow. 2) Salt keeps your vegetables crispier by hardening pectin fibres and hampering their digestion by enzymes. 3) Salt creates an environment favourable to lactic acid bacteria (the good guys!) and less so to other, less desirable microorganisms, giving the former a competitive advantage. 4) Salt slows down the fermentation process, extending the potential for preservation. You can play around with the amount of salt, but I don’t recommend skipping it!
#3 Pounding and Packing
Bruising the vegetables further helps to draw out their juices. You can use your hands to massage the vegetables, or use a specialized pounding tool designed for this purpose. The next step is to pack the vegetable mixture inside a fermentation vessel such a mason jar or a crock.
#4 Submerging
In order to prevent undesirable molds from growing on your carefully prepared kraut, you want to maintain an anaerobic (no oxygen) environment for your vegetables, which requires keeping them submerged under their own juices. A few options include: 1) Using a fermentation weight (usually made of glass or safe ceramic). 2) Saving and washing the tough outer leaves of your cabbage, and using that to push down the vegetables. At the end of the fermentation period, discard these leaves. The kraut underneath should be free of mold.
#5 Covering
To limit oxygen exposure and prevent surface molds from developing, it is important to cover the opening of your vessel. At the same time, you don’t want to seal it completely because, especially during the first week, the lactic acid bacteria will be releasing carbon dioxide, which can build up in your vessel and cause an unwanted disaster. A few options include: 1) covering the opening of your jar with a coffee filter of a piece of cheesecloth, fastened with an elastic band. 2) Using a lid, but keeping it loosely fastened, or making sure to unfasten the lid every day to release the air buildup in your jar. 3) Using a specialized airlock system.
Happy Adventuring!
Joëlle
Yields 1 gallon
A delicious vegetable ferment inspired by the flavours of the Japanese spice mix, shichimi togarashi.
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Ingredients
- 1 green cabbage
- 3 purple daikon (or one white daikon), including leaves
- 1 sweet Asian carrot
- 1/2 cup + 1/8 cup tamari
- 1 knob ginger, minced
- 2 lemons, zest only (or 2 tbsp dried yuzu peel)
- 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
- 1 tbsp aonori
- 4 sheets nori
- 1 tsp chili powder
Instructions
- Wash your cabbage and remove the tough outer leaves. Set the leaves aside for later if you don't own fermentation weights, as they can be used to keep your ferment submerged. (see notes above)
- Start by slicing the cabbage very thinly. Transfer all the cabbage to a large glass or stainless steel bowl and mix in the tamari. While you prepare the rest of the ingredients, the salt in the tamari can start to draw out the water from the cabbage, making it easier at the end to stuff the mixture into jars and to submerge it under its own juices.
- Remove the leaves from the daikon and chop them into small pieces. Add them to the mixing bowl.
- Halve the daikon root carrot lengthwise. Placing the daikon half flat-side down, halve it lengthwise once more, and then cut crosswise into thin slices (~5mm thick). Repeat with the other half. You should end up with many pizza-slice shaped pieces. Add them to the mixing bowl.
- Repeat the cutting process with the carrot and them all to the mixing bowl, along with the rest of the ingredients.
- Mix and pound all the ingredients together. At this point, the cabbage should be soft and you should have some liquid at the bottom of the bowl.
- Pack the mixture into mason jars, or your preferred fermentation vessel, making sure to eliminate any air bubbles and to submerge all of the vegetable pieces under their own liquid. I used two half-gallon jars, and it fit perfectly, but you can also use smaller jars.
- Place a fermentation weight on top of the vegetables. Alternatively, press down some cabbage leaves saved in step 1 to keep your vegetables submerged. You can discard these leaves at the end of the fermentation period.
- Cover the jar with a lid, an airlock or a coffee filter or cheesecloth fastened with an elastic band (see notes above)
- Leave the jars out at room temperature for one to two weeks, or until you are happy with the taste.
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Reverences
Ishige, N. (2011). The history and culture of Japanese food. New York: Routledge.
Katz, S. E. (2012). The art of fermentation an in-depth exploration of essential concepts and processes from around the world. White River Junction: Chelsea Green Publ.
