Furikake is a Japanese condiment typically sprinkled over or mixed into rice. There are dozens of varieties on the market – most contain seaweed, sesame seeds, sugar, and salt. Other ingredients may include MSG and dried fish, shrimp, roe, egg, and vegetables. Although I love looking at the rows of colorful furikake jars at the Japanese grocery store, I recently decided to conserve money and packaging by making my own. As a vegetarian, this also makes sense as many store-bought varieties include fish. It's also a good way to control the amount of sugar, salt, or other additives.

Here is a very basic recipe for homemade furikake. If you've experimented with other ingredients – or are inspired to after this post – let us know in the comments!

You can just use whole sesame seeds, but I like to include both whole and ground for added texture.

Vegetarian Furikake Rice Seasoning

2 sheets toasted nori seaweed
1/4 cup toasted white and/or black sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Toast the nori over a low flame or burner, waving each sheet over the burner until it crisps and the color changes. Using scissors, cut into small pieces.

With a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder, combine 1/8 cup sesame seeds, salt, and sugar.

Combine nori with ground sesame seed mixture and remaining 1/8 cup whole sesame seeds. Store in an airtight container.

To serve, sprinkle over or mix into rice or noodles.

Related: Make This: Gomashio, Japanese Sesame Salt

(Image: Emily Ho)