Sesame

About

Sesame seeds range widely in flavor: hulled, unheated seeds have a mild sweet-wood and nut flavor with a hint of herb and citrus, while toasted, skin-on seeds develop richer roasted notes of coffee, nuts, popcorn, and malt. Seeds can be cream, beige, white, or black, with black seeds having a notably more bitter edge; any of these can be made into tahini, which itself ranges from fatty and earthy to richly nutty, sweet, and coarse. Toasted sesame oil and halva span a similar mild-to-deeply-toasted spectrum. Like peanut, sesame is widely versatile, so the main consideration when cooking with it is choosing a type or brand with the right depth of flavor.

Pairs well with sesame

• CiLemonTarator, an ancient sauce made from tahini, lemon juice, garlic and water, is bitter, sour, earthy and tannic, used on vegetables, fish,…
• SuEggThe Israeli sabich sandwich layers egg, fried eggplant and tahini in warm pita, balanced against hot harissa, a mango-and-fenugreek amba…
• SpCinnamonTahini sweetened with cinnamon and brown sugar or honey fills tahinov hatz, an enriched Armenian bread roll.
• RoChocolateA simple snack of shaved chocolate, halva, and butter is a classic combination; some chocolate bars pair bittersweet chocolate with whole…
• CiGingerToasted sesame's dense, smoky flavor benefits from fresh ginger's brightness cutting through it, as in a simple dressing of toasted sesame…
• FfVanillaBenne wafers, small, very sweet cookies from Charleston, South Carolina, use "benne," the Bantu word for sesame, seeds introduced to North…
• FfHoneyAn ancient sweet, pasteli in Greece, is made by boiling honey to a firm-ball stage and mixing in an equal weight of toasted sesame seeds,…
• RoCoffeeToasting sesame seeds produces furfurylthiol, a compound with a roasted coffee or meat-like aroma, more pronounced in white seeds than…
• BrMisoGoma tofu is made from sesame paste and kuzu starch rather than soybeans, giving it a tofu-like texture dominated by sesame flavor; it is…
• CrDateDates are traditionally eaten to break the Ramadan fast for a quick energy boost, sometimes dipped in tahini.
• SuCauliflowerTahini has become a common sauce for cauliflower dishes; roasting or frying the cauliflower gives a textural contrast to sesame's mild…
• EaChickpeaHummus recipes vary widely, from an unconventional sesame-oil version in place of tahini to the classic approach, where the real key to…
• GrFennelFennel seed has a light, palate-cleansing quality, used in India as a mouth freshener after meals, in contrast to sesame's heavier,…
• GrChileShichimi togarashi, Japanese seven-spice powder, combines sesame seeds with other aromatics such as poppy seeds, sansho pepper, dried…
• GrBuckwheatA simple, highly compatible pairing, buckwheat noodles dressed with toasted sesame oil need little else.
• GrKaleOgiri-saro, a fermented sesame seed seasoning from Sierra Leone made through a multi-day process of soaking, crushing, fermenting and…
• MaSeaweedIn Korea, gim (dried seaweed, called nori in Japan) is flavored with sesame and eaten as a snack, sometimes toasted, torn into pieces and…
• WoCashewIn a chicken and cashew stir-fry, the essential flavors turn out to be toasted cashews and sesame oil rather than the chicken itself.
• GrSpinachJapanese goma-ae, a dressing of ground toasted sesame seeds, sugar and soy sauce, is classically used on blanched, squeezed spinach.
• EaEggplantSesame, whether as oil, seeds or tahini, is one of eggplant's strongest partners.
• WoSweet potatoThe Japanese Murasaki variety of white-fleshed sweet potato turns a pale golden color when cooked and is drier and creamier than the…
• FrYogurtYogurt mutes tahini's mushroom-like undertone, leaving behind a mildly nutty combined flavor, often paired further with garlic for a…
• GrGreen teaGyokuro, a premium Japanese green tea made by shading the leaves for about twenty days before harvest, has a rich, low-astringency flavor…
• WoPistachioPistachio halva, a dense sesame-and-nut confection, is often paired with other nut-and-sesame candies in Turkish groceries, including…
• WoWhole grain riceJapanese brown-rice mochi is made by heavily pounding cooked glutinous rice into a dough, usually sold vacuum-packed and then sliced,…
• FrPomegranatePomegranate molasses and tahini together taste more like a rich cream-tea pairing than a dessert, tahini's earthy fudginess tempers the…
• EaTofuTofu has a mild, clean, slightly milky character, while toasted sesame oil is much more assertive.
• GrGreen beanA pairing of opposites: green beans are picked before they're fully ripe, their flavor originally meant to deter predators, while sesame…
• SpNigella seedNigella and sesame seeds are used together or separately on flatbreads such as Indian naan and Iranian barbari.
• BeOreganoZa'atar is a variable spice blend, often oregano-based but sometimes made with thyme, marjoram or other herbs, combined with dried sumac…