Discover Japanese Food #5: Atsuko's "Goma ae" (THE EAST Campaign in Association with Atsuko’s Kitchen)

Goma ae is a type of 'aemono' - these are cold side dishes, often made with vegetables and a dressing.
One typical aemono is called 'goma ae', which means sesame dressing mixed with green vegetables. The sesame dressing used here is also suitable for other ingredients such as broccoli, carrots, or spinach.
You can also make other types of dressing using nuts - peanuts, cashews, and almonds all work well. They are also tasty when used as a simple dressing on top of tofu.

This recipe uses a sesame grinder to grind the sesame seeds into a paste. It is a very traditional method for this recipe, but you can always use a food processor instead, as it might be quicker. This type of grinder is available in Japanese grocery shops, or some organic grocery shops in London.

*The picture is showing some different types of gomaae with white saseme, cashew nuts, and black sesame at the top.

Ingredients: serves 4
200g green beans
A pinch of salt

Sesame sauce:
3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 tbsp shoyu (dark soy sauce)
1/2 tsp suger
1tbsp mirin

Method:
1. Bring the water to boil in a sauce pan.
2. Meanwhile, make the sesame sauce. Grind the toasted sesame seeds into a paste, using a grinder or mortar and pestle, then mix with the seasonings. ( you can toast sesame seeds in a frying pan with low heat. )

3. Add the green beans and a pinch of salt to the boiling water to cook for about 2 mins.
4. Turn the heat off, strain the green beans and wash in cold water to preserve the colour.
5. Trim the green beans then cut into 5cm lengths and set aside.
6. Mix the sesame sauce and beans together just before serving. ( it will become watery if it is mixed earlier. )