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Home Seasonings and Garnishes

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sesame seeds in blender

Sesame Seeds

Korean Name: 참깨

Romanization: Cham-Kkae

Scientific Classification: Sesamum indicum

Also Known As: Kkaesogeum, Kkae 깨

Flavor Profile/Texture:

nutty

Substitutes:

black sesame seeds, sesame oil

Goes well with:

vegetables, meat

What are sesame seeds (Kkae) ?

Sesame seeds (참깨 cham-kkae) are the seeds of the sesame plant. The seeds are harvested in the fall. Then the seeds are dried, washed, slowly roasted and used in cooking as a seasoning ingredient and condiment.

roasted vs raw sesame seeds in 2 small plates
Roasted sesame seed vs raw

The above picture shows roasted Korean sesame seeds (on the left) and unroasted raw American sesame seeds (on the right).  Sesame seeds do become more plump and brown as you roast them but I do think the American sesame seeds are a bit of a different variety.

Here are all the different forms of sesame seeds in Korean cooking -

  • 통깨 Tong Kkae (whole sesame seeds)
  • 볶은깨 Bokken Kkae or 볶음 참깨 Bokkeum Chamkkae (roasted sesame seeds)
  • 깨소금 Kkae Sogeum (crushed roasted sesame seeds with salt) but sometimes it just refers to the crushed kind without salt

Sesame seeds add great nuttiness to any dish and also as a garnish on top of dishes after it's plated.

Not To Be Confused With

perilla seeds (deulkkae 들깨) which are seeds from the Perilla plant NOT sesame seed plant.

Where and What To Buy

Koreans don't use raw sesame seeds in recipes so you will want to buy raw uncooked sesame seeds only if you plan to roast them at home.

Or you can look for Roasted or Toasted Korean or Japanese white sesame seeds as they are a lot nuttier than the raw seeds.

They should say "Roasted/Toasted Sesame Seeds" or 볶음 참깨 in Korean.

If you are looking for sesame seeds to plant and grow - you can buy the seeds online and can grow yourself. Sesame is a tropical annual herb that grows to about 60cm (24″) tall and you can harvest the seeds in the fall.

Read more in the How to Grow section to see how Koreans grow and harvest sesame seeds.

 

How to Use/Cook

If you have raw sesame seeds, roast them first by sauteeing in a frying pan on low heat for few minutes.

Use roasted sesame seeds as a seasoning ingredient in vegetable side dishes or meat marinades.

Then use it as a garnish on top of vegetable/namul dishes or any dish that already contains sesame seeds in the dish. Also, you can grind sesame seeds to make tea cookies like Dasik.

How to Clean/Store

Sesame seeds are shelf-stable and will not go bad or rancid in the pantry. It will be good for months at room temperature.

How To Grow

Sesame seed and mung bean pods
Sesame seed and mung bean pods

You can grow sesame seed plants quite easily and harvest the seeds in the fall. Just cut the tall stem with the seed pods, dry the stalks then shake it off to collect the seeds.

Here are some pictures that I took in Korea.

sesame seed plant flowering
sesame seed plant flowering
sesame plant stalks propped up and drying in the field
Sesame plant stalks drying in field

Close up of the sesame pods - these are beaten and shaken so the seeds become loose from the pod

close up of dried sesame seed stalks
Sesame seed stalks drying

Nutrition/Health Info

Because sesame seeds are eaten in small amount, it's not clear how much of an health effect it has but it's known to have the following benefits -

  • may lower cholesterol and triglycerides
  • may help lower blood pressure
  • may be good for bone health
  • good source of b vitamins

 

Recipes that use it:

Simple Tteokbokki (Korean spicy rice cake)

Vegan Tteokbokki – Spicy Korean Rice Cakes in 15 min

korean spinach side dish in white dish

Korean Spinach Side Dish (Shigeumchi Namul)

InstantPot Short Ribs - Korean Galbi Jjim

Instant Pot Short Ribs (Galbi Jjim) – Fast and Delicious!

soy sauce bibim guksu noodles picked up with chopsticks

Simple Korean Soy Sauce Noodles (Ganjang Bibim Guksu)

Korean Tea Cookies (Dasik) for Lunar New Year (White Sesame, Black Sesame, Green Tea, Sesame)

Korean Tea Cookies (Dasik) for Lunar New Year

close up view of the icy slushy soup of kimchimari guksu

Easy Cold Kimchi Noodle Soup (Kimchimari Guksu) for Summer!

Acorn Jelly pieces laid out on plate on greens then topped with sauce

How to make Acorn Jelly (Dotorimuk 도토리묵)

Japchae Korean Glass Noodles Closeup

Best Japchae (Korean Glass Noodles) – Authentic and Amazing

Soybean sprouts (Kongnamul Muchim) on black dish on wooden table

Kongnamul Muchim (Spicy Soybean Sprouts)

Korean Cold Cucumber Soup (Oi-Naengguk)

Songpyeon Rice Cakes for Chuseok in colors

How to Make Songpyeon for Chuseok

Spicy korean dried squid recipe (Ojingeochae Muchim 오징어채 무침)

Korean Spicy Dried Squid Recipe (Ojingeochae Muchim)

Korean cocktail meatballs with Sweet Soy Glaze

Korean Cocktail Meatballs for the Holidays!

Korean Fried Chicken glazed with Sweet Garlic Spicy Soy Sauce

Korean Fried Chicken with Soy Glaze

cold soy milk noodle soup kongguksu closeup

Cold Soy Milk Noodle Soup (Kongguksu 콩국수)

Easy Tofu Recipe with Broccoli

Easy Tofu Recipe 1 of 2: Broccoli Dubu Muchim (두부무침)

Korean cucumber salad or Oi Muchim(오이무침)

Simple Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim 오이무침)

Soba Noodle Salad with Sesame Soy Dressing (Memil Guksu Salad 메밀국수 샐러드)

Best Soba Noodle Salad with Sesame Soy Vinaigrette

References:

  • https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sesame-seeds#TOC_TITLE_HDR_12
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