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Home Condiments and Sauces

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sesame oil in glass gravy boat

Sesame Oil

Korean Name: 참기름

Romanization: Cham-gireum

Also Known As: Toasted Sesame Oil, Roasted Sesame Oil

Flavor Profile/Texture:

Nutty Smoky Earthy

Substitutes:

Pumpkin Seed Oil, Perilla Oil, Walnut Oil

Goes well with:

meats, soy sauce, salt, garlic, cooked vegetables

What is Sesame Oil (Chamgireum) ?

sesame oil in glass gravy boat on white clothSesame oil is an amber-colored oil that's used both as a cooking oil and finishing oil. Sesame seeds (kkae 깨) are first slow roasted then are pressed to make oil. Some sesame oil is made without roasting, almost all Korean sesame oils are roasted in pretty high heat before they are ground and pressed which maximizes the flavor.

Korean Sesame oil is very rich and aromatic so only a small amount is needed. It also has a high smoke point (410℉) so you can use it for sautes, stir-fries and more. To obtain maximum flavor, add a drizzle of sesame oil at the end - much like you drizzle olive oil to finish a dish.

Not To Be Confused With

Perilla Oil (Deulgireum 들기름) made from roasted perilla seeds.

Where and What To Buy

BUY Ottogi PREMIUM Sesame Oil at your local Korean grocery store or on Amazon HERE.

Best - Ottogi Premium Roasted Sesame Oil 오뚜기 고소한 참기름 or Jin Sesame Oil. Make sure you get 'premium'. The regular and the traditional style (옛날) is not as flavorful and aromatic.

Good - Chungjeongone Premium Sesame Oil 청정원 참기름

7 different bottles of korean sesame oil lined up
Korean Sesame Oils - different brands

I have a separate post where I compared the taste of all 7 brands. And my order of preference is from left to right with the top 1 and 2 being almost equal.

Try to buy sesame oil that has a wonderfully smooth taste, a very rich nutty flavor and a slight smokiness. Overly roasted sesame seed oil will have a bitter flavor. Colors will be usually darker the more it was roasted.

How to Use/Cook

Use sesame oil much like Olive Oil. You can use the less expensive, less fragrant ones for sauteeing and cooking. Use the more expensive and fragrant ones as a finishing ingredient - drizzle on bibimbap, muchim, namul and other dishes for most fragrant aroma. The fragrance does get diminished when cooked so drizzle after the heat is turned off.

How to Clean/Store

Store in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. Can be refrigerated but it is not necessary.

How To Grow

You can grow sesame plants quite easily from seeds. Harvest seeds by drying stalks then shaking them off to get the seeds. Note, sesame plants are NOT perilla plants. Many often get confused because in Korean sesame is called Cham Kkae 참깨 while perilla is called Deul Kkae 들깨. Both ends with the word 'kkae' but they are completely different plant varieties.

Nutrition/Health Info

  • high in antioxidants (sesamol and sesaminol)
  • high in linolic acid which prevents the formation of cholesterol, a cause of arterioscelorisis/heart diseases
  • MAY help control blood sugar - help treat arthritis and heal wounds and burns
Click here to read more about Sesame Oil

Recipes that use it:

fresh kimchi geotjeori with green onions on light blue plate

6 Ingredient Fresh Kimchi (Geotjeori)

close up of gun mandu in a row on white plate

Yaki Mandu (Korean Fried Dumplings) aka Gun Mandu

Flower shaped Chapssal Yakgwa on black plate

Chapssal Yakgwa (Flower Honey Pastry)

Songpyeon Rice Cakes for Chuseok in colors

How to Make Songpyeon for Chuseok

close up view of poke nachos plated

Poke Nachos with Gochujang Mayo Sauce

Snowman Rice Balls Christmas

Snowman Rice Balls (Jumeokbap) for Christmas!

Cooked bulgogi on white blueish plate topped with chopped green onions

Bulgogi (Korean BBQ Beef 불고기)

spam egg kimchi folded kimbap square sandwich

Easy Folded Kimbap Sandwich – 2 Ways

korean spinach side dish in white dish

Korean Spinach Side Dish (Shigeumchi Namul)

korean crown daisy namul on hanbok plate on green mat

Korean Chrysanthemum Greens Recipe (Ssukat Namul)

Pork Bulgogi - Korean BBQ Dweji Bulgogi

Spicy Korean Pork Bulgogi Recipe & Video

soy sauce bibim guksu noodles picked up with chopsticks

Simple Korean Soy Sauce Noodles (Ganjang Bibim Guksu)

Kalbi Korean Short Ribs and Lettuce Ssam

BEST Kalbi (Korean BBQ Short Ribs) Marinade Recipe

Korean sesame oil in glass gravy boat on white cloth

Ultimate Guide to Korean Sesame Oil

Hobak Bokkeum close up on white shallow bowl on white table cloth

Hobak Bokkeum (Stir-Fried Zucchini)

Seaweed Stem Side Dish - Miyeok Julgi Bokkeum

Korean Seaweed Side Dish (Miyeok Julgi Bokkeum) – VG, GF

Japchae Korean Glass Noodles Closeup

Best Japchae (Korean Glass Noodles) – Authentic and Amazing

Soybean Sprouts Side Dish Kongnamul Muchim Not Spicy

Soybean Sprouts Side Dish (Mild Kongnamul Muchim)

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References:

  • https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sesame-oil-benefits#TOC_TITLE_HDR_6

 

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