Maria NasirThis is a very simple and refreshing recipe from Japanese cuisine, something that goes well as a side with various mains, particularly fried and grilled foods.
‘Goma’ means ‘sesame’ in Japanese and gomaae is a side dish made with sesame sauce dressing.
Most commonly, this sauce is served over blanched spinach or green beans but tastes great with other vegetables such as crisp leafy greens, carrots and daikon.
Some recipes use sake and mirin in this sauce, I’ve kept it to the simplest possible.
Delicious can be this easy too !
For Gomaae, Sesame Sauce with French Beans Recipe :
250 g French beans
1 teaspoon salt
For Sesame Sauce :
4 tablespoons white sesame seeds
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons shiitake Dashi ( Japanese mushroom stock)
This Is What You Do :
Trim French beans at both ends.
Meanwhile boil enough water to immerse beans in a deep pan with salt.
Cook beans for 2 minutes in boiling water or until they are slightly tender but still firm.
Fill a big bowl with cold water. Remove beans from boiling water and immediately soak in cold water for a minute or two to preserve their colour.
Drain and keep refrigerated while you prepare the sauce.
To make the gomaae sauce, add sesame seeds to a mortar, roughly crush using a pestle. The seeds should retain done texture.
Add the remaining ingredients of sauce and mix thoroughly.
Right before serving, pour the sauce over beans and toss well. Tastes best when chilled.
Serves 2-3
For Shiitake Dashi check this link on the blog
http://www.foodaholic.biz/shiitake-dashi-and-vegetable-miso-soup/