Goma Dare (Japanese Sesame Sauce)

Goma dare is the creamy sesame sauce served alongside shabu-shabu, poured over hiyashi chuka cold ramen and spooned onto steamed vegetables and salads. It is built on neri goma, the Japanese equivalent of tahini made from fully toasted white sesame seeds, which gives it a deeper, nuttier flavour than its Middle Eastern cousin.

The paste is loosened with dashi or water and seasoned with soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin and sugar until it pours like thin cream. Some versions add miso for extra savouriness or a little chilli oil for heat. Bottled goma dare is widely available, but a homemade batch takes about three minutes in a bowl with a whisk.

Ingredients

Goma dare is made from ground toasted sesame seeds or sesame paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, sugar and dashi or water. Variations include miso, sake, garlic, ginger and chilli oil.

Nutritional Facts

Sesame sauce is richer than most Japanese condiments. Per tablespoon it contains approximately 60 calories, 4 grams of fat, 4 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of protein, along with useful amounts of calcium and magnesium from the sesame. Sodium is moderate at around 250 milligrams per tablespoon.

Make it yourself

Grinding your own toasted seeds is the whole difference between this and tahini with soy stirred in. See our goma dare recipe.