![\"katsuo_furikake\"](\"http:\/\/www.withaglass.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/katsuo_furikake.jpg\")
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“Sprinkling” would be\u00a0the closest translation of\u00a0“furikake”, though I guess “topping” sounds more correct. Furikake \u3075\u308a\u304b\u3051(“furikakeru”\u00a0means\u00a0“to sprinkle” is one of those Japanese food inventions\u00a0that merits to be more known and practiced\u00a0all\u00a0around the world. If you don’t like eating plain white rice (I know many of us Westerners are not big fans) and you have already been bored with soy sauce as seasoning, then furikake is what you are looking for! It is a more or less complex condiment\u00a0sprinkled on top of\u00a0rice, bringing additional\u00a0flavours and texture. A\u00a0bowl of steamed rice,\u00a0a fried or poached egg on top and some good quality furikake are\u00a0a dream meal for me!<\/p>\n
Every time I go to Japan, apart from the usual, well-known and loved products, I bring newly discovered food items. Last November I brought several kinds of what I believe to be high\u00a0quality furikake (I was told that cheaper “supermarket” furikake tend to contain MSG and\/or chemical preserving agents). I liked all of them, but one furikake particularly stood out of the whole lot. As soon as I ended the package,\u00a0I decided to copy it or make something as similar as possible. I have managed to decipher\u00a0only a part of the ingredients, but thanks to\u00a0my Japanese friend A. and her precious help I was able to start experimenting and… I think I have succeeded! I no longer have the original furikake to compare, but my homemade version\u00a0tastes almost the same and is definitely equally delicious. It is salty, sweet, slightly sour, slightly smokey, packed with umami… addictive and fantastic treat for all the katsuobushi fans!<\/p>\n
TIPS: The below amounts should be treated as an example. Adjust the flavours to your own preferences (especially in terms of sweetness, acidity and saltiness).<\/p>\n
Sake is not on the ingredients’ list, so you can skip it (I thought it added a very pleasant aroma).<\/p>\n
If you don’t have shiitake powder or konbu powder, use a coffee or spice grinder to grind drired konbu and shiitake. You can also use fresh shiitake, but I’d grind them first in a food processor and dry in the oven. (Using fresh mushrooms will cut down the shelf life of the furikake.)<\/p>\n
The ingredients on the package (and below) contain\u00a0“konbu dashi” (Japanese seaweed stock). It’s very easy to prepare, but if you don’t want to bother, I guess you can use\u00a0a powdered version. I have never posted a konbu dashi recipe,\u00a0but luckily there is Nami and her Just One Cookbook blog!\u00a0\u00a0Click here to see her very well explained konbu dashi recipe.<\/a><\/p>\n