Chirimen Sansho (Baby sardines with Japanese pepper)
Dish recipe

Chirimen Sansho (Baby sardines with Japanese pepper)

Photo: Shuhei Tonami

For 4 people:

200 grams of dried baby sardines (chrimen-jako)
A: 3 to 4 tablespoons of concentrated “koi-dashi”
A: 3 to 4 tablespoons of sake.
20 grams of Japanese sansho pepper seeds (or more if desired)

1) Boil the pepper for few minutes, cool in cold water, and drain in a colander.

2) Add , Koi-dashi and sake in a pan, then add sansho pepper seeds. Heat until boiling,
3) Add baby sardines, turn heat to medium and stir with chopsticks.
4) When the broth is reduced, lower the heat, simmer and stir until the broth is almost gone (but before it gets sticky to the pan.)
5) Spread on paper towel or wax paper to cool.

(Point) To make crispy Chirimen-Sansho, remove and cooling it on paper towel or wax paper.

Fresh Sansho seeds are seasonal. If you boil fresh sansho seeds and freeze them in small portions, you can make delicious chirimen sansho all year round.