The Japanese Ingredients You Should Be Adding To Tomato Sandwiches

Don't be fooled by the ease of toasted tomato sandwich recipes. This humble yet delicious meal packs a lot of satisfaction. While perfectly tasty on its own, there are lots of ways to upgrade a classic tomato sandwich, including replacing conventional ingredients with pumpernickel bread and heirloom tomatoes. Mashed spoke with Michelle Wallace, owner and founder of B'tween Sandwich Co., for more insight into which ingredients can take tomato sandwiches to another level. 

The chef offered some unlikely but compelling suggestions in our exclusive chat. "Two unexpected ingredients that will add some interesting flavor to your tomato sandwich are Kewpie mayo and furikake," Wallace says. Kewpie, a Japanese brand of mayonnaise originating in 1925, is much loved for its luscious consistency, made possible by the egg yolks in the recipe. This brand is also notable for its use of MSG and its lack of sugar. Furikake is a seasoning blend that consists of flakes of dried seaweed, dried fish, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and sugar and has an appealing savory flavor. As stated by chef Wallace, "Together [these ingredients] will make your tomato sandwich sing in a new way!"

Kewpie Mayonnaise is quite a bit different from American mayo, and Michelle Wallace credits these differences for making the condiment such a delightful addition to tomato sandwiches. "Kewpie mayo is richer than traditional mayo with the use of egg yolks and MSG," she explains. Tomato sandwiches will get even more flavor from furikake, which Wallace describes as having "a pleasant seaweed taste and nutty flavor from the sesame seeds." 

Next to the crispness of the toast and juiciness of the tomatoes, the silken mouthfeel afforded by Kewpie Mayonnaise offers a nice contrast to the other ingredients in your sammie. The addition of MSG also adds complexity to the flavor profile, which would be missing with other mayo brands. The nutty, savory flavor of furikake introduces even more complexity as well as providing a bit of crunch for a more dynamic texture. When combined, the added richness and savory quality of these ingredients beautifully offset the tasty yet commonplace elements of a tomato sandwich.