* * * To cap off our series on enjoying traditional Japanese cuisine in a more casual manner, we present using “iriko” (dried baby sardines) as a seasoning. It is often difficult to use up all the iriko one buys for making dashi stock alone, but this recipe should help you handily solve that problem. It will renew your understanding of the power of small sardines that can be just as tasty as meat. Ryohei Hayashi, the Kagawa-born chef who grew up eating iriko of the Seto Inland Sea, supervised the cooking aspect of the recipe, and suggests that we try to “see familiar ingredients in a new light.” One way he recommends doing this is through making tasty iriko powder.