The last stage of creating katsuobushi is to allow the fish to sun-dry using the assistance of mold. Okaka, is a Japanese seasoning that is often associated with rice. I'm Tomo, a Japanese blogger living in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. On the other hand, “Furikake (ふりかけ)” is a traditional Japanese rice condiment consisting of tiny flakes made from various food materials, such as meat, fish, seaweed, sesame seeds, salted plums, and eggs. They are not true katsuobushi without the last fermentation stage, but still valued as a good substitute. Updated August 28, 2020. This smoking and resting cycle is repeated 12–15 times in total. As seen in the photos above, the Katsuobushi flakes for Okaka Furikake are typically seasoned with soy sauce and sugar, which is why the rice seasoning has a dark brown color and is somewhat moist. [5] As a result, they have been once banned for sale in the European Union. amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; Okaka (Dried Bonito Flakes with Soy Sauce) By Bebeloveokazu @bebeloveokazu. For the purpose of enriching your life, I would like to introduce things about Japan on this blog, especially unique Japanese products, cooking recipes, cultures, and facts and trivia. View profile When I was hunting for something appealing in the Furikake section of the store, this classic Okaka Furikake caught my eye, and I grabbed it because I thought the Japanese rice seasoning would be a nice topic for the blog here. The mold ferments the fillets and also draws out any residual moisture. Thus, Okaka Furikake is a Japanese rice condiment consisting mainly of Katsuobushi flakes, which has long been loved in Japan as one of the classic flavors of Furikake. The best thing about it: it takes less than two (2) minutes to make. amzn_assoc_linkid = "28de5468cdc1eaa8f404ae066f9dd4c7"; Okaka can be used as a seasoning (or topping) for rice, or it can be used as a filling for onigiri (rice balls with salmon filling or mentaiko/spicy cod roe filling) or yaki onigiri (grilled rice balls). The result is more flavorful and resistant to deterioration. You are welcome, thank you for the comment! When tapped together lightly, they sound almost metallic, and unlike their dull beige outer appearance, when broken open they are a translucent deep ruby color inside. It is a simple mixture of dried shaved bonito flakes gently tossed with soy sauce. These are rotated to assure an equal exposure to the smoke. The mold is continually scraped off, with further sun-drying increasing hardness and dryness until the fillet resembles a piece of wood, with less than 20% of its original weight. The best thing about it: it takes less than two (2) minutes to make. Put some cooking sake and mirin in a pot. Shaved katsuobushi and dried kelp—kombu—are the main ingredients of dashi, a broth that forms the basis of many soups (such as miso) and sauces (e.g., soba no tsukejiru) in Japanese cuisine. Learn how your comment data is processed. In a small bowl mix katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) with soy sauce until incorporated. The flavor can be as light or salty as you wish by simply adjusting the amount of soy sauce. Furikake is usually used by being sprinkled over a bowl of plain white rice to add a delicious flavor. For those who want to try the Japanese taste of Okaka Furikake, I did some online research on the recipe. Kasugai Green Mame: Deep-Fried Salted Green Pea Snack. Recommendation of Unique Japanese Products and Culture © 2020. In addition to making dashi, other popular uses of katsuobushi include: The mycotoxin beta-nitropropionic acid has been found on katsuobushi as well as in miso and in soy sauce, two other Japanese fungal fermented products. [4], Due to the smoking process which involves tar and charcoal, amounts of benzopyrene exceeding EU standards, as much as 37μg per kilogram, have been detected in commercially sold katsuobushi. amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; Katsuobushi's distinct umami taste comes from its high inosinic acid content. Katsuobushi or similarly prepared fish, is also known as okaka (おかか). The built-up tar from the smoke is cleaned from the surface using a grinder. All Rights Reserved. Your email address will not be published. For the purpose of enriching your life, I would like to introduce things about Japan on this blog, especially unique Japanese products, cooking recipes, cultures, and facts and trivia. In the Edo era, it was common for katsuobushi to go through an extra step, the so-called tebiyama style (手火山式, tebiyama-shiki) process. Katsuobushi has also been shown to impart a kokumi flavour.[1]. Receive notifications of new posts by email. Thus, Okaka Furikake is a Japanese rice condiment consisting mainly of Katsuobushi flakes, which has long been loved in Japan as one of the classic flavors of Furikake. Okaka, is a Japanese seasoning that is often associated with rice. Katsuobushi or similarly prepared fish, is also known as okaka (おかか). Due to the extra cost and facilities required only a few factories following tebiyama-shiki remain. It is also known as bonito flakes. For the unfamiliar, the Japanese word “Okaka (おかか)” is a synonym for “Katsuobushi (鰹節)”, which is dried, fermented, and smoked skipjack tuna, also known as bonito flakes. [6], Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Important Mycotoxins and the Fungi which Produce Them", "Anger Over EU Import Ban On Bonito Flakes Over Carcinogen Issue", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Katsuobushi&oldid=985554587, Articles lacking in-text citations from August 2013, Articles needing additional references from August 2013, All articles needing additional references, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, Articles which use infobox templates with no data rows, Articles containing Japanese-language text, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from October 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 26 October 2020, at 16:46.