Furikake

– 100g dried seaweed (I prefer wakame) – 80g sesame seeds

– 10g fried garlic

– 10g fried shallots

– 5g sweet variety chilli powder

– salt

Toast the wakame and the sesame separately in a heavy-based pan over low heat. The key indicator for the seaweed being ready is smell; for the sesame it is colour. Basically you want to get the seaweed smelling nutty and the sesame golden brown.

Once they are both toasted, place the wakame in the oven at 160ºC for a further five minutes or so to fully remove any moisture.

Grind the sesame using a mortar and pestle to bruise the seeds and release the oil. Don’t be tempted by the convenience of a food processor or grind them too far by hand – the aim is to retain some texture.

For the final couple of minutes of the seaweed in the oven, add the rest of the ingredients to dry out further.

Remove the seaweed and grind to a size similar to the sesame.

Sieve to remove the large pieces, then add the rest of the ingredients and work them together using the mortar and pestle. Once the desired texture is achieved, let cool and store in an airtight container.

Remove from the container using only a dry spoon and this mix will be good to keep for several weeks.