Do you know furikake? Furikake is a Japanese seasoning made from ingredients like seaweed, sesame seeds, salt and some taste makers. It’s usually sprinkled over rice, but it also works well on salad, tofu, and even pasta. It’s savory, crunchy, and super versatile — kind of like Japan's answer to a finishing salt. It's is such a great thing, isn't it?
Last year, I found a simple sesame and seaweed furikake at a German organic shop. It was so convenient that I kept buying it, and that inspired me to try making my own furikake product. At the market last year, I mixed dried Perilla leaves (leftover from making one of my products, Shiso syrup) with sesame and seaweed to create a Shiso furikake. It sold out completely 🙌
As I was using the sesame and seaweed based furikake, I started to think that adding some protein would make it even better. Just adding some vegetables and a sprinkle of protein added furikake over rice could make a quick and easy meal. I thought about what could work well in a furikake that’s easy to store at room temperature — and then it hit me: roasted soybeans or other beans! So I made a furikake with roasted soybeans and tested it myself over the winter. The crispy texture turned out really nice.
Using the oven makes it easy to produce in larger quantities without effort, which seems promising for commercial production.
Now that I’ve managed to stabilize the production process, which may work for larger amount, I’ve started having friends try it out. Next month, I’m planning to offer samples at the market and start selling it there. My furikake is made with roasted soybeans, seaweed, sesame, and Kala Namak — a black salt from India and South Asia that has a sulfuric, boiled egg-like flavor.
I've created various products before, but I feel like I've finally found the ideal one. Furikake is easy to mass-produce regardless of individual skill, it keeps well at room temperature, and it’s lightweight as long as I avoid using glass jars for packaging. Shiso syrup is heavy because of the glass bottles, and ice cream is difficult to transport... So this furikake feels like the perfect solution. Plus, I genuinely want to use it every day myself, which is a big bonus.
I’m now working on the packaging and having my family and friends test it out. I’m really looking forward to seeing how it’s received at next month’s market. I’m also thinking about bringing it to @hivecreatorsday — it would be fun to share it there too!
So, what do you think? Would you try my new furikake 😊
日本のふりかけっていいですよね。昨年ドイツのオーガニックショップで原材料がシンプルなごまと海苔のふりかけを見つけて買ったら便利で、リピート買いして、自分でもプロダクトとしてふりかけを作り始めました。昨年末のマーケットでは紫蘇シロップを作った時に出る葉っぱを乾燥させたものと、ごまと海苔を混ぜて紫蘇ふりかけを販売したところ完売御礼で、よい感触を得ました。
ごまと海苔のふりかけを使う中で、さらにタンパク質が入っていると、ご飯にちょっと野菜をのせて、ふりかけをかければ手軽な一食になっていいなと思うようになりました。ふりかけのように常時常温でキッチンに置いておけるもの・・・そうだ、炒り豆だ！と炒り豆入りのふりかけを作って台所において、冬の間に自分で食べてテストをしてみていました。かりかりとした食感がいい感じです。
オーブンを使うと、手をかけずに量を作れるのも商品化に向いていそうです。
安定して作れるようになり、友人に試してもらい、来月マーケットで試食を提供しつつ販売してみようと思います。こんなふうに炒り豆と海苔、ごま、Kala Namakというインドや南アジアで使用される硫黄を含むゆで卵味の黒塩を混ぜています。
これまでいろいろな商品を作ってきましたが、人のスキルによらずに量産可能で、常温で長期保存可能、パッケージに瓶を使わなければ軽量なところがふりかけのよいところ。紫蘇シロップは瓶が重く、アイスは運搬しにくい・・・ということで、ようやく理想の一品にたどり着けた気がします。私が毎日でも使いたいというのもプラス。
パッケージングを考えて、家族や友人とテストして、来月のマーケットでは試食を提供しながら販売してみる予定で、どんな反応がもらえるか楽しみです。Hive Creators' Dayにも持っていこうかな ☺️
みなさん、こんなふりかけはいかがですか？