Sesame Seeds

In my cooking there are and there will be many recipes with 'sesame seeds' used as an ingredient or as  a condiment.

Generally, sesame seeds in Japanese cuisine refer to  "ROASTED sesame seeds" whereas what you find in regular markets in America refer to dried sesame seeds.

 (By the way, TAHINI is made from RAW sesame seeds)

roasted                              chopped                              ground

Different ways to prepare the sesame seeds give different texture to the dish you are preparing.

JAPANESE STYLE grinding uses a special grinding bowl called 'suri-bachi' and a stick, 'suri-kogi'.

Ginding sesame seeds using this bowl and stick makes creamy and smooth paste.  

I think it is different from using an electric mill. The texture of the paste made using this tool is the best as it breaks down the husk of the seeds.

I usually buy the sesame seeds at a Japanese market and re-roast the sesame seeds before I use them, even though they have been previously roasted.

Look forward to recipes with sesame seeds♪