Make Your Own Furikake For An Infinitely Customizable Seasoning

Furikake — the Japanese seasoning with a traditional base of sesame seeds, fish flakes, dried seaweed, and salt — started off as a means to combat malnutrition but has now reached mainstream status thanks to its intense umami flavor. Anyone who has been a longtime customer at an Asian grocer knows that there are dozens of brands available on the market (perhaps an overwhelming amount to furikake novices stumbling across their first aisle devoted to the condiment). But one of the benefits of its straightforward list of ingredients is that the blend is incredibly easy to make, giving home cooks the freedom to modify components and create a complementary topping to a wide variety of snacks and meals.

To create your own supply, most recipes recommend that you start by heating, on low, the key liquid components: soy sauce, mirin, and sake along with a teaspoon or so of sugar and a pinch of salt. After the sugar has melted, add tissue paper-thin bonito flake shavings to the pan and let the liquids cook out (be sure to stir often). Finally, thoroughly mix in the sesame seeds and nori. Once you're ready to begin customizing, you can incorporate a range of desiccated fish (salmon, cod, sardines), dried wasabi, matcha, or yuzu. Just keep in mind that the base is already salty, so don't turn the mixture into a brine bomb with other overly salty components.

Like a number of iconic foods with humble origins, furikake, which means "to sprinkle," arose from necessity and just so happened to come with the extra benefit of good flavor. In the early 20th century, a pharmacist started selling a concoction of pulverized fish bones, seaweed, and sesame seeds as a nutritional supplement for a calcium- and fiber-deficient population that was largely dependent on a diet of white rice. These days, fish bones have been swapped out for bonito (simmered and smoked skipjack tuna), but the final product is still primarily used to wake up an otherwise-dull bowl of refined grains — particularly in Japan. 

However, applications can be almost endless, whether as a finish to poke, roasted vegetables, or soft scrambled eggs. Homemade furikake should keep for up to six months as long as it is in an airtight container stashed in a cool, dark space. However, you'll want to use it within two months for maximum flavor). Need additional recipe ideas to help get you moving through your new supply? Try making a California roll bowl or grilled cabbage steaks.