Chef notes
Shichimi togarashi is a citrusy, savory Japanese seven-spice blend featuring ground red chiles, roasted orange peel, black and white sesame seeds, sansho pepper, seaweed and often ginger. You can extend those sharp, multilayered flavors with lime juice, maple syrup and a touch of soy reduced to a sticky pan sauce that slicks quick-cooking pork chops in this easy recipe. Try to find bone-in loin chops with nice fat caps around the curved outer edges for richness and succulence. Serve with white rice and green beans, or alongside a big crunchy salad.
You can find a bottle of shichimi (sometimes labeled nanami) togarashi at a Japanese or Asian grocery store; it's easy to buy online, as well. But to make your own with other pantry ingredients, stir together 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/4 teaspoon sesame seeds (black or white, or both), plus a couple grinds of black pepper. For full-spectrum flavor, you could also include a pinch of sumac for sourness, a fleck of crushed dried seaweed for savoriness and a dash of poppy seeds for sweet nuttiness. These aren't traditional ingredients by any means, but they get you close when you're in a pinch.
