Togarashi

When it comes to spicy, earthy, and all-round delicious Asian spice blends, there are very few in the same league as togarashi! This uniquely flavored and distinctly spicy blend seems to meld itself so well with just about any dish, including delicious immi ramen. 

It really is among the kings of umami spice for us! And since we love it so much, we thought to break it down as to what makes togarashi so great, where it comes from, and how to make your own homemade togarashi flavor bomb.

What is togarashi?

For example, “ichimi” togarashi is just powdered chili pepper, while “shichimi” togarashi has seven different spices in it (also called Japanese seven spice). 

The individual amounts of the added spices may vary in the seven spice version but there has to be a distinct element of earthy, citrusy, and woody sort of heat alongside umami, a hint of sweetness, pungency from the mustard, and saltiness from the powdered seaweed. 

Ichimi togarashi has a much simpler flavor and is hotter than shichimi. However, it’s also got notes of citrus and earthy bark. There are even smoked versions of ichimi togarashi. 

History of the topping

Togarashi is different from many other toppings in that we know exactly where and when it was created, rather than estimating based on old accounts. 

The first togarashi was made during the Edo period in 1625, in the Yagenbori herb shop in Tokyo. The shop was located in the Higashi-Nihonbashi district in Tokyo and while it originally made the spice blend as both medicine and flavoring, it began to be sold mostly in pharmacies. 

Over time, street vendors and food cart owners began to sell and use the seasoning and it became a local favorite, especially during neighborhood festivals. People would set up small carts in front of temples and shrines, selling togarashi among other herbs. 

Today, Yagenbori still has a shop is Asakusa where they sell the original version of the spice blend. It’s chukara or moderately spicy, and is sold in several traditional packages. 

However, because it’s so simple to make and use, we’d definitely recommend whipping up your own blend for better control over ingredients and flavors. 

Types of togarashi

There are two basic types of togarashi, namely the ichimi and shichimi togarashi that we talked about earlier. 

However, among those there are several sub-types that use different ingredients for varying flavor profiles and heat levels. 

For example, there’s a version that uses takanotsume chili peppers. These are hotter than the standard red pepper used is ordinary seven-spice powder and produce a version that’s generally used in cooking instead of as a seasoning. 

There’s a version that uses shiso leaves in the mix. This adds a citrus note that reminds of dried mint leaves, oregano, thyme, and other floral herbs. 

There’s also nanami togarashi which is almost completely similar except it uses half the amount of orange zest. This gives it a more pronounced spicy flavor with far fewer citrus notes. This version is better for ramen that already has a tangy element and just needs some heat to set it off. 

Why togarashi pairs well with ramen?

Ramen is an extremely diverse and varying dish in terms of both texture and flavor, not to mention the variety of toppings you can include. For this reason alone, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to pin down one single flavor profile that pairs well with ramen itself. 

That said, we can all agree that umami and spice are a guaranteed combo when we talk about the trademark bowl of ramen. 

This is why togarashi pairs well with ramen i.e. it has both qualities in droves. 

And it’s not just instant ramen either. Traditional ramen flavors all benefit from the addition of togarashi as well. In fact, let’s do a quick breakdown of why the 4 basic ramen flavors go so well with togarashi. 

Tonkotsu ramen is a rich, meaty flavor that’s made from pork bone broth. Because of its richness, it lacks that kick that we sometimes need in our ramen. You can add it by using sliced chili peppers as a topping, or you can sprinkle on some shichimi togarashi for a much broader flavor spectrum. 

Shio ramen is another understated flavor that although salty, lacks in the spice department by itself. Using togarashi as a topping will add some spice without drastically altering the flavor and preserving some of the thin saltiness that’s characteristic of shio. 

Shoyu ramen is interesting because it’s both salty and slightly tangy due to the soy sauce. With this one you can use togarashi in two ways. You can either use it as a topping, or you can add it to the tare when you’re making ramen from scratch. You can also add it along with the tastemaker and let it simmer if you’re making instant ramen. 

Lastly, miso ramen benefits from togarashi because of the existing salty flavor depth that’s elevated with a sprinkling of seven spice. This is another flavor in which you can add the spice blend to the tare for an even deeper flavor in the end. 

Of course, togarashi goes super well with delicious immi ramen as well. Just like with miso and shoyu, you can add it while cooking the ramen as well as sprinkle it at the end. 

We’d recommend adding more of it to our Spicy ‘Beef’ flavored immi ramen for an interesting spicy ramen challenge albeit with much better flavors than you usually find with such extra-spicy ramen. 

Which other toppings pair well with togarashi?

We have experimented a lot with multiple different shichimi togarashi blends and here are the toppings that we found were the best when coupled together in a bowl of ramen. 

• Chashu is delicious, rich, and tender pork braised in a super flavorful mix of mirin, dark soy sauce, sake, and chicken stock. It’s got the perfect texture that just breaks apart in the chew and pairs really well with warm, salty broth. However, it lacks in the spice department and if you prefer your ramen bowl with a little bit of kick, you can’t go wrong with a sprinkling of togarashi on top of the chashu. 
• Menma is pickled bamboo shoots that combine the best of both worlds in terms of sweet and tangy flavor, and crunchy texture. Menma actually benefits from togarashi in two ways. You can add it to the pickling brine when you’re prepping the menma from scratch, and you can sprinkle it on top of the entire ramen spread. 
• Narutomaki is a deliciously bouncy and flavorful fish cake that’s very popular with modern ramen fans due to its appearance in the famous Naruto anime series. It’s got an awesome texture for ramen but it can sometimes use a bit more flavor depth. Togarashi adds several new layers of flavor, from a rich yet sharp spice to earthy saltiness, to even a slight sweetness. 
• Furikake is a unique spice mix that’s very famous across Japan and the rest of the world for adding flavor to otherwise bland rice, meat, and vegetables. At first, it may sound strange and excessive to use two spice blends as a topping. However, we have found this to be an absolutely superb pairing, especially if the rest of the toppings are raw veggies. 
• Mushrooms are a traditional part of many different asian cuisines and ramen is one such dish that they go really well in. Although there are tons of different kinds that suit ramen, the three biggest ones are kikurage, shiitake, and enoki mushrooms. 

Aside from these, you have famous toppings such as negi (sliced long green onion), kakuni (thick cut braised pork belly), and niku soboro, all of which are great but for different reasons. 

Health benefits of togarashi

Although it was made as both a flavoring and medicinal agent, togarashi has several of the latter qualities that make it great for regular consumption. 

For starters, it has tons of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that make it ideal for people with joint pain and general puffiness. 

There’s also a significant amount of zinc which contributes to healthy immune function and muscle repair. That, coupled with the iron content ensure that a steady diet has the right amount of vital micronutrients needed for optimal health. 

What’s great about togarashi from a health perspective is that because it’s basically a chili powder base, the spice helps clear up sinus congestion and blocked noses. Since it also has anti-inflammatory ingredients, it helps quite a lot with the latter condition. 

The capsaicin in the chili pepper helps with blood circulation, muscle pain relief, and even weight loss to some extent. 

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