5 Minute Asian Sweet Sesame Sauce (2024)

FAQs

What is sesame sauce made of? ›

Goma (胡麻, ごま) refers to sesame seeds, while Dare or Tare (たれ) translates to sauce in Japanese. Pronounced as [Goh-mah Dah-Leh], this delectable sauce is made from Japanese sesame paste, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and dashi (Japanese soup stock).

Still, it works really well, and it's easy to use: For each cup of liquid, you want to thicken, start with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a small bowl. Add an equal amount of cold liquid and stir until smooth paste forms.

Cornstarch! In his book How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, Mark Bittman recommends mixing 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch with the same amount of water, and tossing this into the stir fry just when it's almost done. It thickens in seconds, picking up the flavors of everything already in the dish and coating evenly.

It's so easy to make Japanese Sesame Paste from scratch with just sesame seeds and a food processor! Called Neri Goma in Japan, this vegan condiment is thick, creamy, and nutty. Add this rich and flavorful homemade paste to dipping sauces, salad dressings, noodle sauces, and desserts.

Studies show sesamol, a natural chemical found in sesame seeds and sesame oil, has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging benefits. Other studies suggest it also has strong anti-cancer effects.

Chinese sesame paste (Zhi Ma Jiang/芝麻酱) is the star ingredient of this dish. It's made from toasted whole (unhulled) sesame seeds and has a thick consistency, a brown color, and a distinctive nutty aroma with a bitter undertone. You can find it in classic dishes like Dan Dan Noodles, the dipping sauce for Hot Pot, etc.

Cornstarch substitutes for sauces:

Perfectly thick: Whisk all purpose flour into water to make a slurry, or combine it with butter, to make a beurre manie. Both can be added to your sauce in the beginning of cooking to create a thick, luscious final product.

Much like French food, which relies on a roux for a perfect bechamel sauce or beef bourguignon and involves butter cooked with flour, Chinese and Cantonese cuisines use cornstarch to thicken sauces. However, it's predominantly added at the end of the cooking process rather than at the start.

While hoisin sauce adds a rich and savory flavor to dishes, soy sauce brings a salty and umami taste. Hoisin sauce is a thick, dark sauce that is slightly sweet and tangy, with a hint of garlic and five-spice flavor. It is commonly used in Chinese cuisine, particularly in dishes like Peking duck and moo shu pork.

Tahini is sometimes listed as a substitute for sesame paste, but to me, the two aren't interchangeable. Though tahini is also made from white sesame seeds, those seeds are usually untoasted or lightly toasted. By comparison, toasted sesame paste is more assertive and aromatic and also thicker in texture.

What is the best substitute for Chinese sesame paste? ›

Substitutions for Sesame Paste

If you're unable to find Chinese toasted sesame paste, you can use tahini as a substitute in a pinch, though the flavor will be much milder. If you don't have any issues with peanut allergies, peanut butter is also a decent substitute.

According to Asian Ingredients: A Guide to Foodstuffs of China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam by Bruce Cost, Chinese sesame paste, sometimes called sesame butter or sesame sauce, comes from sesame seeds that are deeply toasted before grinding.

Simple yet bold, our Sesame Sauce highlights sweet, tangy and roasted notes with toasted sesame seeds, ginger, michiu flavored wine and brown sugar.

Perhaps no other salad dressing is as versatile as sesame dressing. The simple mixture of sesame seeds, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, and brown sugar has the ideal balance of nutty, salty, tart, and lightly sweet.