What's it called?
Sesame oil, toasted sesame oil, sesame oil flavored, zhīma you (芝麻油).
What is it?
Asian sesame oil is pressed from hulled, roasted sesame seeds. These may be white or black sesame seeds are. The color is pretty dark and intense nutty taste. The sesame oil in health stores in the West is cold pressed from on peeled, on toasted sesame seeds. This oil is much lighter in color and softer in taste.
How to use?
Asian sesame oil is mainly used to flavor a dish, and finally added to the dish. It is not recommended to use sesame oil to wok or frying, the oil would burn quickly and taste diminish. Also delicious in cold dressings.
The cold-pressed, Western sesame oil is suitable to baking or frying. It can be purchased in health food stores.
Tips, tricks & recipes
- Recipe: Spinach with soy sauce and sesame oil
- Note: there are quite a few brands "sesame oil" who secretly just soybean oil with a little sesame oil for flavor. Example of the famous Mee Chun, that is not pure sesame oil.
What to buy?
 | Brand: Chee Seng Oil Factory志成油厂 country of origin: Singapore label: Sesame Oil乌麻油 Ingredients: 100% sesame approximate price: € 2.25 (210ml) |
 | Brand: Mee Chun country of origin: Hong Kong ingredients: Sesame (75%), vegetable oil (25%) label: Sesame (flavored) oil芝麻油 approximate price: € 1.75 (250 ml) |
 | Brand: Golden Lion country of origin: China Ingredients: Sesame oil, soybean oil label: Sesame oil, sesame ol, sesame oil approximate price: € 1.10 (250g) |
Which is preferred?
The sesame oil pressed from pure black sesame seeds, those of Chee Seng. Because of the delicious, nutty flavor.
