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Ichimi Tōgarashi

The Quirky Foodster Team

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About 1/2 cup
Servings

Ingredients

  • Pure ground dried red chile pepper, with no other components — a defining simplicity distinguishing it clearly from shichimi's seven-ingredient complexity

Method

  1. Simply grind dried red chile to the desired coarseness.
  2. Not typically toasted; the chile is used dried and ground directly.

Origin: Japan — literally ‘one-flavor chile pepper,’ the simpler single-ingredient counterpart to shichimi.

Use: A pure-heat table condiment, chosen specifically when only chile heat (without shichimi’s additional citrus-sesame-seaweed complexity) is wanted.

Classic Dishes: Used interchangeably with shichimi in many of the same contexts (noodle soups, grilled foods) by diners who prefer unadorned heat.

Storage: Keeps 6 months to a year sealed and dark.

Variations: The direct, deliberately simple counterpart to shichimi tōgarashi — the two are frequently sold side by side in Japan specifically so diners can choose between pure heat and the more complex seven-ingredient version.

Substitutions: Any pure ground dried red chile, such as cayenne or Korean gochugaru at a comparable heat level.