Black Sesame Paste (黑芝麻馅)

Picture Credit to the Original Owner

What is black sesame paste

It’s made of unhulled black sesame seeds, a sugary ingredient, and optional fat. Firstly, the seeds are toasted to bring out their best aroma, then ground to a glossy, thick paste before being combined with other ingredients.

Black sesame paste has a distinctively nutty, aromatic and earthy flavor. It also has a bitter taste which is balanced with sweeteners like honey or sugar. When used in different recipes, its consistency varies. It can be reasonably firm, or runny and smooth like melted chocolate.

Pro tips

Skip the toasting step if you can find ready-toasted seeds.

• Take breaks while grinding to avoid overheating the machine.

• How you sweeten affects the consistency of the paste.

Ingredients

Black sesame paste only calls for two basic ingredients,

black sesame seeds

a sugary ingredient of your choice.

Optionally, you may add some fat if you’d like it richer. Learn more information on each below.

There are two types available: raw black sesame seeds and toasted black sesame seeds. The latter is handy since you can blend them straight away. I like raw ones too as I find their nutty flavor is more distinctive when freshly toasted.

The sugary ingredient

To sweeten black sesame paste, you’re free to choose whatever sugary ingredient you prefer. The choices include:

• Solid: white sugar (granulated sugar, caster sugar, etc.), brown sugar (light brown, dark brown, muscovado, etc.),

• Liquid: Honey, golden syrup, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, etc.

• Artificial sweeteners if you wish to avoid the above.

The optional fat content

Adding fat to black sesame paste is optional. However, consider doing so if you’d like to have the following benefits:

It enriches the paste and adds an extra aroma.

• It makes a soft paste a little firmer after chilling. So it becomes easier to handle while stuffing a wrapper.

• It creates a lava-like, runny consistency when used in food that’s served warm.

Butter or coconut oil for a vegan diet are good choices as they solidify once chilled. You may also use lard, the fat traditionally used in Chinese black sesame paste and other sweet fillings. Liquid oil is not recommended for this recipe.

Equipment

Although a traditional set of mortar and pestle would work, I’d recommend you use a food processor, a blender, or a spice grinder to make a black sesame paste of the best texture and consistency (and it’s much less laborious).

Step 1: Toast the seeds

Put raw black sesame seeds in a clean, dry pan. Toast them over medium-low heat to fully bring out their nutty aroma (skip this step if using ready-toasted seeds).

TIPS:

• Stir the seeds with a spatula while toasting. This helps to heat them evenly and avoid burning.

• To judge the doneness: The seeds need to be removed from the heat once they become plump (raw ones are flat) and can be crushed easily with your fingertips. Don’t overcook. Otherwise, you’ll get a burnt taste.

Step 2: Grind the seeds

Add the toasted seeds to your food processor, blender or spice grinder. Grind them in full power at intervals every 5-10 seconds. Scrape off any paste sticking to the side then keep grinding.

TIPS:

• No matter what size your machine is, you need to add sufficient seeds to work with (enough to fully cover the blades).

• It takes quite a while to get the paste to the desired texture. Make sure you give your machine a few breaks, as some can not endure extended periods of running and become overheated if working for too long.

Step 3: Flavor the paste

Transfer the paste to a bowl. Add the sugary ingredient of your choice. Use a spatula to stir and fold the paste until fully combined.

As I mentioned earlier, different sweeteners change the paste texture differently. The two portions of paste shown in the image below have different firmness.

The left one is sweetened with white sugar which makes the paste softer so it spreads out on the surface.

The right one is sweetened with honey which makes the paste firmer and holds its shape well.

There isn’t a set ratio when sweetening the paste. I usually add the honey/sugar gradually and taste until it reaches my preferred sweetness

Check Out other Recipes on how to use it.