Sesame seeds are a staple in Asian cuisine, especially in Japanese cooking.
Sprinkle them on a tomato salad, a rice dish, fish in parchment paper, puff pastry appetizers, vegetable stir-fry, or panna cottas. Ideal with fresh pasta, a vegetable tart, semi-cooked tuna, or goat cheese croquettes.
How to Use Black Sesame Seeds in Cooking?
Here are some recipe ideas to use black sesame seeds in your cooking:
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Black Sesame Paste (or kurogoma kurimu): blend 200g of black sesame seeds with a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of honey for 10 minutes until you get a paste;
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Black Sesame Panna Cotta: in a saucepan, mix 50g of black sesame paste with 300ml of whole milk and 60g of cane sugar;
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Black Sesame Babka: spread 150g of black sesame paste on your flattened brioche dough;
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Black Sesame Mochi: add 3 tablespoons of black sesame paste to your sweet anko dough;
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Black Sesame Fish Fillet: sprinkle 1 tablespoon of black sesame seeds on your fish fillets and grill them in a pan.
Aromas of Black Sesame Seeds
Black sesame seeds have a fragrance of roasted hazelnuts, even more intense when toasted. The flavors of this seed pair well with both sweet and savory preparations.
The Botany of Sesame Seeds
Sesame, or Sesamum indicum, is a plant in the Pedaliaceae family. This plant is widely cultivated in regions such as Africa and Asia for its seeds.
Black sesame is a particular variety of sesame (Sesamum indicum Black seed), with a strong and distinct flavor.
Whether used raw, toasted, or ground, sesame seeds are very present in European, Asian, and American cuisine.
The black sesame plant can reach up to 3 meters in height, and after 3 months of growth, the mature seeds fall and are carefully handpicked.
Sesame Seeds, Ali Baba's Treasure, and the Forty Thieves
"Sesame, open up!" the expression pronounced by Ali Baba in the tale of One Thousand and One Nights certainly has two meanings. Either the author refers to the sesame pod that opens when it ripens, or he referred to its reputation as a treasure for those who possessed it.
