Furikake (ふりかけ) is Japanese dried rice seasonings. It’s used to sprinkle on top of rice and to make Onigiri (rice balls).
It typically consists of a mixture of bonito flakes sesame seeds, chopped seaweed, sugar, salt, and some includes freeze-dried salmon flakes, shiso, egg, and vegetables. Furikake is often brightly colored and flaky. It can have a slight fish or seafood flavoring.
Some Furikake brands include MSG but I usually buy furikake with No MSG or mutenka (無添加) label on it to avoid additives. Furikake can be found in most Asian groceries around or in the ethnic food aisle of some major supermarkets.
Homemade Furikake
If you are interested in homemade Furikake using the leftover katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) and kombu from making dashi or Mentsuyu, click HERE.
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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I love your website. My 86-yr old mother hungers for food she ate as a child. I am learning more about Japanese food recently and your website is a very good resource.
Thanks for your hard work and excellent photos.
Diana
Thank you so much for your kind words, Diana! I hope your mom enjoys your Japanese cooking. Even after living in the US for almost 20 years, I still miss home and good Japanese food helps curing my homesick. 🙂 Thank you for writing!
Is it possible to make my own furikake? Those we have here mostly contain MSG and I’m a bit vary of them. What are your recommended brands?
Hi Jayne! Yes we can make our own furikake too (hmm thanks for the idea of future recipe!) There are SOOOO many brandds of furikake out there. I’m not sure what kinds your Asian store carries… But if they are imported, look for “無添加” sign. We have more no MSG products in Japan, and if they were imported from Japan (no English), you have more chances to get MSG-free version.
Thanks for the tip, Nami. I need to look carefully. We do have some specialty Japanese food stores around. I usually get my miso paste, mirin and other stuff there. Hopefully I can find something without MSG! 🙂
Thank you so much for creating this entry!
My pleasure! 🙂