Semiserious Chefs

Yasai Fumi Furikake is also known as veggie furikake. As yasai fumi means ‘vegetable flavor,’ it’s a wonderful way to take those otherwise nearly indistinguishable ‘healthfood’ vegetable chips, and turn them into something tasty.

Now there are two common varieties of these vegetable snacks. For this recipe I used the vegetable chips, but one could also just as easily use the vegetable sticks. Because one of the most distinguishing features of furikakes in general is texture, I ground the vegetables together coarsely, and not completely into a powder. The next big decision was the addition of just a dash of vegetable broth powder. This can easily be found with the bulk herbs in most health food departments. Having decided on the right amount of salt and sugar the last ‘secret ingredient’ was sake. Interestingly, it is the first to be added when making this recipe, and with good reason. The dry ingredients soak up the liquid so you don’t end up with soggy seaweed. I felt that the sake was really needed as a liaison between the flavor of the ground vegetables and the sweet sugar; akin to using mirin.

The sweet and salty flavors of this particular furikake make it great for rice, of course, but also for scrambled eggs or omelets, on grilled or poached fish, raw or roasted vegetables, noodles, and don’t forget popcorn! The sweetness and familiar ingredients also make this a great choice for introducing children to the world of furikake.