The market · Nuts and seeds · East Asia, The Middle East
Sesame seeds
Tiny oily seeds — nutty, and much nuttier toasted. Ground into tahini in the Levant, and into sesame paste in China.
nutty · toasty
What to do with it
ShanghaineseShengjian baoSmall risen pork buns fried in a wide, shallow pan, steamed under a lid, so their bottoms go crisp and golden while the tops stay soft.No one here has made it yetZhejiangNingbo tangyuanSoft balls of glutinous rice dough filled with a sweet paste of black sesame, sugar and lard, served in their hot cooking water.No one here has made it yetAnhuiHuangshan shaobingA small, flaky, round pastry filled with preserved mustard greens and fatty pork, crusted with sesame and baked against the wall of a charcoal oven.No one here has made it yetUyghur and XinjiangSamsaSquare parcels of thin dough filled with lamb, fat and onion, baked against the wall of the tonur until blistered and crisp.No one here has made it yetUyghur and XinjiangUyghur nanRound flatbreads baked on the wall of the tonur, thin and stamped with patterns in the middle, often scattered with onion and sesame.No one here has made it yetSichuanChongqing chicken with chilliesSmall pieces of chicken fried crisp, then tossed in the wok with a heap of dried chillies and Sichuan pepper — you hunt for the chicken.No one here has made it yetSichuanBobo chickenCold poached chicken and other morsels on bamboo skewers, steeped in a bowl of red chilli oil with Sichuan pepper, and paid for by the stick.No one here has made it yetJapaneseTonkotsu ramenThin, straight noodles in a cloudy, creamy pork-bone broth, with slices of chāshū, red pickled ginger and spring onion.No one here has made it yetGujaratiDhoklaA spongy, steamed savoury cake of gram flour or fermented rice and lentils, tempered with mustard seed, curry leaves and green chilli and soaked in a sweetened water.No one here has made it yetGujaratiUndhiyuA winter medley of flat beans, purple yam, sweet potato, baby aubergine and plantain, slow-cooked with fenugreek dumplings and a green masala of coconut and coriander.No one here has made it yetGujaratiTheplaThin, soft flatbreads of wholewheat flour kneaded with fresh fenugreek, yoghurt and spice, cooked on a griddle with a little oil.No one here has made it yetGujaratiKhandviGram flour cooked with yoghurt into a thick batter, spread paper-thin, rolled into soft spirals and tempered with mustard seed, sesame and coconut.No one here has made it yetGujaratiHandvoA savoury cake of fermented rice and lentil batter with grated bottle gourd, baked or pan-cooked until crusty and topped with a mustard and sesame tempering.No one here has made it yetMexicanMole negroOaxaca's black mole: chilhuacle and other dried chillies toasted almost to char, ground with nuts, seeds, fruit, spice and chocolate into a near-black sauce.No one here has made it yet
Kinds
- White (hulled)
- Mild; for tahini, halva and bread.
- Black
- Stronger and slightly bitter; for Japanese and Chinese sweets and dressings.
- Ready-toasted
- From Japanese and Korean grocers.
Goes with
Knowing it
- Where to buy
- Middle Eastern and Asian grocers, in bags far cheaper than supermarket jars.
- Worth knowing
- Toast them in a dry pan until they start to pop. In Japan they're crushed in a ridged suribachi to release their oil.
Kitchens that keep it in
Xinjiang, north-western ChinaUyghur and XinjiangThe cooking of the desert oases in China's far north-west: lamb, cumin and chilli, hand-pulled noodles, pilaf, and breads baked on the walls of a clay oven.7 classicsGujarat — western India, on the Arabian SeaGujaratiSweet, sour and gently hot: a largely vegetarian kitchen of gram flour, jaggery and buttermilk, of steamed and fried snacks, and a thali with a little of everything.9 classics
