Cooking Advice

Without sesame seed many recipes are incomplete. Left untouched, these seeds are bland and boring, but toasting them brings out a whole world of flavor.

The thing about toasting these seeds is that you have to be careful not to burn them. Since browning them will bring out the natural oils inside of the seed, all of this delicious flavor is released once they are thoroughly toasted. You may be tempted to buy your seeds already toasted, but avoid this temptation. You see, those that are already toasted tend to lose their flavor once they hit your kitchen…and they also turn rather rancid after just a few days. Try the methods which are listed below.

Purchase raw seeds at nearly any market (though Asian markets tend to have the best deals), and store them in a tight container. Before you attempt toasting, be sure that you will be able to spend at least four minutes continuously watching the stove. If you turn your back for a moment, your seeds will burn. Place a small skillet (cast iron is best) over medium heat until it is warm – do not place any oil inside of the pan. Then, add the seeds until they create a thin layer over the bottom of the skillet. Give the pan a toss every twenty seconds to ensure that they don’t burn using a wooden spoon.

Watch the seeds carefully until they turn a light golden brown color. When this color has been reached, remove the pan from the heat. Since most pans will continue to cook the seeds, remove the seeds from the skillet and place them on the side. That’s it – that’s all there is to toasting these lovely seeds. Now, you can add them to any sesame chicken recipe that you come across. These can be used to prepare noodles, indian, chinese, etc dishes.

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