If you’re going to cook Japanese at home, you’re going to need some pointers! Join culinary instructor and cookbook author Kimiko Barber and build up a respectable repertoire of fantastic, classic Japanese dishes. These green beans with black sesame dressing add a healthy pop of color to any meal.
Compared to white sesame seeds, black ones have a stronger flavor and therefore dark or normal soy sauce can be used.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 ounces fine green beans
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
Black Sesame Dressing
- 4 tablespoons toasted black sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
Directions
For the beans
Cut the beans into 1¼ to 1½-inch lengths. Blanch them in plenty of lightly salted boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes. Rinse in cold water, drain, and pat dry with paper towels.
Put the beans in a bowl, then add the soy sauce, and, with your hands, mix and lightly squeeze.
To make the dressing, put the toasted sesame seeds and sugar in a Japanese mortar, suribachi, and grind to form a coarse paste—do not over grind them—leave some seeds still visible. Add the soy sauce and mix well.
Transfer the beans to a separate bowl, then add the black sesame dressing, and mix well to coat each bean. Divide into four equal portions, and serve in neat mounds in small individual dishes.