Fat
Toasted sesame oil
Also called sesame oil
Oil pressed from sesame seeds. The dark East Asian bottle is toasted sesame oil, a finishing perfume. Untoasted sesame oil is paler and a cooking fat — a different product that shares a name.
Origin
Sesame is an old Indian Ocean oilseed. Cold-pressed untoasted oil is older in South Asia and the Middle East.
Flavour
Toasted oil smells of roast nuts and burnt sugar, and a teaspoon fills a kitchen. Rancid toasted oil tastes bitter, like old peanuts.
How it is made
Seeds are cleaned, often roasted until fragrant, then pressed. Cheap blends may cut sesame with soybean.
How to use it
Treat toasted sesame oil like a seasoning, not the fat you heat a wok with. A teaspoon at the end of bibimbap, japchae, gimbap rice or ramen is plenty; more turns the dish bitter and greasy. You can bloom a few drops in warm — not smoking — oil to carry the aroma through a bulgogi marinade. High heat burns the toasted aromatics. Salt still comes from soy, not from the oil.
Storage
Cap it tightly and keep it cool. Clouding in the fridge is normal.
Recipes using it
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