Furikake, Japan’s favorite condiment

You will find furikake in every Japanese household because they are very fond of it, it is an essential condiment to taste!

Furikake, a typical Japanese condiment
Its composition
Its success
Which furikake to choose ?
How to use it

Furikake, a typical Japanese condiment

Furikake 振り掛け is a condiment in the form of powder or flakes used in Japanese cooking, similar to the salt and pepper we use in France. It is usually sprinkled on hot Japanese rice. Its composition is richer than salt and pepper and it helps to spice up the taste of the dishes and give it a unique taste!

Its composition

There are hundreds of variations but for the most part they are composed of :

seaweed (kelp to be exact)
sesame seeds
sugar
salt
glutamate
and according to the variations, of eggs, vegetables, dried bonito wasabi dried bonito etc…

Everything is mixed into very small pieces and blended together.

Its success

Japanese people eat rice everyday and the advantage of furikake is that it is ready to use and delicious. It allows you to season your rice every day with a different taste, and to bring color. It is generally used with the onigiri (rice ball), in the bento on white rice or in ochazuke (a rice dish with green tea poured over it). Ideal for moms who want to make a dish quickly, students to give taste, or salaryman who have no time to cook.

Personally we also sprinkle it on fish, eggs, noodles and tofu! Furikake is already salted so use it in moderation. It goes well with many products.

furikake hello-kitty Besides, children are very fond of it, because on one hand it gives color and a lot of taste and on the other hand some furikake allow to color the rice to make the dish more attractive.

You will recognize the furikake quickly because the bags are chalked with cute animals or famous characters like Hello Kitty for example.

Which furikake to choose?

There are different varieties, according to our preferences here is what we recommend:

noritama furikake egg — Noritama, with eggs and nori as its name indicates, the Japanese are very fond of it and so are we!

furikake wasabi — Furikake with wasabi, there is a subtle spicy taste on the rice

furikake bonite — Furikake with dried bonito, egg and nori. The salty taste of the fish is found on the rice, it is delicious

furikake shiso — Furikake with shiso, more subtle this furikake is very good. It is however very salty

furikake yuzu — Furikake with yuzu, you can feel a little citrus on the rice, it’s very nice

You can if you wish make furikake yourself, just use dehydrated products and blend them with a food processor. You can find all the details in our home-made furikake recipe!

Instructions for use

For a bowl of rice just put a tablespoon on top. Then you mix and enjoy! Furikake keeps well in the bags that you have to close well. You can also find individual bags, 1 is enough for a bowl of rice