Leftover Dashi Ingredients? Make Japan's Favorite Topping for Rice - Furikake-Japanese Taste

Leftover Dashi Ingredients? Make Japan's Favorite Topping for Rice - Furikake

by Julie Sherman

Rice seasoning Contains nuts Contains fish Contains gluten

In a previous blog post, we made a kelp and bonito flake dashi broth from scratch, which is an essential Japanese seasoning. After making this style of dashi, you will have left over kelp and bonito flakes. Maybe you're wondering, should I throw these ingredients away? Can I possibly use them for anything else? But don't worry, they are still edible, and you can make something else delicious with them! Today, let's make "Furikake" (rice seasoning) from the drained bonito flakes and kelp.

Have you heard of Furikake before? It is a common seasoning added to rice in Japan. It is also commonly used in "onigiri" or Japanese rice balls. It is savory, slightly sweet, and full of umami flavor.

Hope you enjoy the whole process of making dashi and furikake from scratch!

Overview

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 15 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
  • Kombu (roughly 2 pieces of about 10cm)
  • Dried Bonito Flakes (Katsuobushi)
  • 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
  • 1 tbsp Mirin
  • 1 tbsp Sake
  • (optional, but highly recommended) sprinkling of Sesame Seeds

Expert's Tip

Leftover Dashi Ingredients? Make Japan's Favorite Topping for Rice - Furikake

One of the main ingredients in this furikake is katsuobushi. It is a popular ingredient for adding umami flavor and is commonly used in making dashi broth and furikake. It is also used as a topping for okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and yakisoba. You can find this ingredient in Japanese supermarkets, or online at our shop.

Instructions

1) Mincing the Furikake Ingredients

Put the leftover kombu and katsuobushi into a food processor, and mince them into tiny pieces. Alternatively, you can finely mince them with a knife.

2) Cooking the Furikake Mixture

In a small saucepan, cook the minced kombu and katsuobushi mixture over medium-low heat. Be sure NOT to add any oil, as it will cause the ingredients to spoil faster. Cook the mixture until all of the excess moisture evaporates.

3) Seasoning the Furikake

Once the furikake mixture becomes a little bit dry, season it with soy sauce, mirin, and sake. Continue cooking the mixture over a medium-low heat until all of the moisture evaporates.

Make sure you keep stirring it, so it doesn't burn. Add sesame seeds into the furikake and incorporate well. Turn off the heat once sesame seeds are fully incorporated.

4) Serving and Storing the Furikake

Now, the Furikake is finished! You can use it on a topping on rice, add it to onigiri, or even add it onto popcorn. Enjoy adding this furikake to any of your favorite foods to add an extra umami-punch!

You can store your homemade furikake in a glass or plastic air-tight container in the refrigerator. It will last for up to 1 month.

About the author

Julie Sherman
Julie Sherman
Julie works in the Content Marketing and Creation department at Japanese Taste. She’s lived in Japan for four years and is currently based in Kobe. Before she joined Japanese Taste, she was teaching English to high school students in the countryside of Hyogo Prefecture. She got her bachelor’s degree in Asian Studies from the University of California Los Angeles. She has always been interested in Japanese language and culture and decided to take the plunge and move from her suburban hometown in California to Japan straight after graduating from university. Julie likes to write articles related to food, Japanese culture, and Asian skincare. She strives to write in a way that is informative yet easy to understand (and is of course fun to read!) In her free time, she likes checking out new restaurants and cafes, taking pictures of pretty flowers, hiking, and traveling. 
View articles by Julie Sherman

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