七味是那七味﹗破解七味粉 Decode on Shichimi Togarashi (seven-flavor chili pepper) powder

肥丁也有自己配方的七味粉了﹗七味粉是日本常見的辛香料，通常撒在烏龍麵、蕎麥麵或丼飯上。七味粉的配方因地區而異，京都口味偏清淡，而關東地區則喜愛爆發性的辛辣感。

個人而言，我較為忌口辣味，因此偏好清淡的口味，調配時重視香氣的同時減少辣度。其原料並非固定的七種，每家店都有不同的配方。為了分析成分，我購買了幾款市售七味粉，發現每家的配方略有差異，但都遵循規定僅有七種成分。其包含辣椒、陳皮、黑芝麻、罌粟籽、大麻籽、山椒及昆布。另一品牌則由辣椒、橙皮、黑芝麻、白芝麻、昆布、山椒及薑組成。七味粉以辣椒（唐辛子）為基底，再添加六種辛香料，將這些香料歸為香辣組（辣味+香氣）與香口組（香氣+口感）。

香辣組

辣椒和薑均可帶來辣味，消費者可依個人喜好進行選擇。自製老薑粉，辛辣中帶有柑橘香氣。

山椒是花椒的近親，為第二必備食​​材，其麻感輕盈、柔和且淡雅，伴有青檸檬的香氣，常用於去除鰻魚的泥腥味。新鮮山椒較難取得，因此我選擇了研磨成末的山椒粉。

白芥末入口時先有甜味，咬碎後則帶有溫和的辣味。辣椒、山椒是中堅份子，作為搭配我選了芥末籽作為搭檔，結合甜、辣、香三種感覺。

香氣組

日文的陳皮是曬乾的橙皮，而我更鍾愛凍乾的柚子皮，清新的酸甜和香氣十分令人愉悅。紫蘇葉則結合了薄荷和羅勒的清新芳香。

大麻籽即大麻種子，又稱火麻仁，其香氣略似向日葵籽的堅果香。為避免出口問題，多數市售七味粉未添加大麻籽，替代品可選擇亞麻籽、奇亞籽或罌粟籽。

白芝麻的脂肪含量較高，香氣較為馥鬱，而黑芝麻則用於增色，兩者皆可同時加入。

香口組中我使用了這四種成分。

◤材料

• 乾朝天椒 Dried red chili peppers 100 g
• 山椒粉 Japanese pepper powder 30 g
• 芥末籽 White Mustard seeds 6 g
• 新鮮紫蘇葉(烘乾) Fresh dried perilla leaves 4 g
• 凍乾柚子皮 Freeze-dried yuzu peel 30 g
• 大麻籽 Hemp seeds 8 g
• 黑芝麻 Black sesame seeds 16 g (可全黑芝麻或白芝麻)
• 白芝麻 White sesame seeds 4 g

 

◤做法

❶　新鮮的乾燥紫蘇葉香氣最為鮮明，只需去除梗，保留葉片，並用清水沖洗乾淨，平鋪在乾燥機上或日曬均可。香料在研磨前須先乾燥以去除濕氣，研磨時便不易結塊。在45°C下乾燥2小時或進行日曬。

❷　等待乾燥期間，進行炒芝麻的工作。黑白芝麻需先用清水沖洗乾淨，由於芝麻顆粒細小，容易焦化，可混入白芝麻以方便觀察是否炒焦。炒芝麻時必須避免大火，使用木鏟舀起時，若仍黏附在鏟上則表示仍有水氣，需多翻幾次。芝麻必須炒過，香氣才會提升

❸　辣椒乾燥後。您是否知道辣椒最辣的部位是哪一個？果肉、蒂頭和種子都不正確，實際上，最辣的部分是囊膜，這是種子附著在其上的海綿狀組織。因此即便您仔細去除辣椒種子，只要未去除白色囊膜，研磨後仍會保留辣味。在研磨之前，請務必戴上口罩，切勿用手接觸眼睛。

❹　乾燥的紫蘇葉需研磨成粉，由於不同香料的性質各異，粉碎時間略有不同，建議分開研磨，以免某些香料未被擊碎而有些卻打得過頭。

❺　冷凍乾燥的柚子皮沒什麼重量，研磨時在機器中容易空轉，造成顆粒大小不均勻，需使用60目網篩過濾，穿不透篩子的顆粒需放回研磨機繼續研磨。大麻籽含有豐富的蛋白質和脂肪，易產生油脂，您可以與同樣油脂豐富的黑白芝麻一同研磨，稍有結塊也無須擔憂，與其他香料混合後即可避免結塊。

❻　接下來討論目數與過篩的順序，目數是指物料的粒度或粗細度，數值越大，物料粒度越細。優質的七味粉除辣味和香味外，口感也同樣重要。辣椒粉需用60目網篩過濾，而山椒粉、柚子皮及白芥末則用40目網篩過濾。紫蘇也需用40目，大麻籽及黑白芝麻則不需過篩。最後，將所有材料倒入密封的玻璃罐中，搖勻使用新鮮的香料可增強香氣。

❼　存放在密封性良好的容器中，在室溫下可存放半年。為方便日常使用，我會取出少量放入胡椒罐中

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◤Ingredients

• Dried red chili peppers 100 g
• Japanese pepper powder 30 g
• White Mustard seeds 6 g
• Fresh dried perilla leaves 4 g
• Freeze-dried yuzu peel 30 g
• Hemp seeds 8 g
• Black sesame seeds 16 g (can use all black sesame or white sesame)
• White sesame seeds 4 g

The aroma of fresh dried perilla leaves is the most pronounced. Simply remove the stems, keep the leaves, and rinse them with clean water. Lay them flat in a dehydrator or sun-dry them. The spices must be dried before grinding to remove moisture, making them less likely to clump while grinding. Dry them at 45°C for 2 hours or sun-dry them.

While waiting for them to dry, you can toast sesame seeds. Both black and white sesame seeds should be rinsed with clean water first. Since the sesame seeds are small and can easily burn, you can mix in white sesame seeds to better observe if they are getting burnt. When toasting sesame seeds, avoid high heat. If they still stick to the wooden spatula when scooped, that indicates they still have moisture, needing to be flipped more times. The sesame must be toasted for the aroma to improve.

After drying the chili peppers, do you know which part of the chili is the hottest? The flesh, stem, and seeds are not correct; in fact, the hottest part is the placenta, which is the spongy tissue to which the seeds are attached. Therefore, even if you carefully remove the seeds, as long as the white placenta is not removed, the spiciness will remain after grinding. Make sure to wear a mask while grinding and avoid touching your eyes with your hands.

Dried perilla leaves need to be ground into powder. Due to the different properties of the spices, the grinding time may vary. It is recommended to grind them separately to avoid some spices not being crushed while others get ground too much.

Freeze-dried grapefruit peel has little weight and can easily spin in the machine during grinding, leading to uneven particle sizes. You need to use a 60 mesh sieve to filter it. The particles that do not pass through the sieve should be returned to the grinder for further grinding. Hemp seeds are rich in protein and fats, which can produce oil. You can grind them together with the oil-rich black and white sesame seeds. A little clumping is not a worry; mixing them with other spices will help prevent clumping.

Next, let’s discuss the mesh size and the order of sifting. The mesh size refers to the granularity or coarseness of the material; the higher the value, the finer the particle size. For high-quality shichimi seasoning, flavor and aroma are important, but texture is equally important. Chili powder should be filtered with a 60 mesh sieve, while sansho powder, grapefruit peel, and white mustard should be filtered with a 40 mesh sieve. Perilla should also be sifted with a 40 mesh, while hemp seeds and black and white sesame seeds do not need to be sifted. Finally, pour all the ingredients into a tightly sealed glass jar and shake well; using fresh spices can enhance the aroma.

Store in a well-sealed container at room temperature for up to six months. For convenient daily use, I take out a small amount to keep in a pepper shaker.