Fat
Toasted sesame oil
Also called sesame oil
What it is
Oil from toasted sesame seeds. A finishing aroma, not a deep-frying fat.
Origin
East Asia.
Flavour
Roasted, nutty, intense.
How to use it
A teaspoon at the end of Korean and some Japanese dishes. Do not use it as the only cooking oil for a whole pan.
Storage
Fridge after opening if you are slow to finish a bottle.
Can you recognise Toasted sesame oil?
Ingredient challengeQuestions about Toasted sesame oil
From this ingredient's notes in the catalogue — not a chatbot.
What is Toasted sesame oil?
Oil from toasted sesame seeds. A finishing aroma, not a deep-frying fat.
How do I use Toasted sesame oil?
A teaspoon at the end of Korean and some Japanese dishes. Do not use it as the only cooking oil for a whole pan.
How do I store Toasted sesame oil?
Fridge after opening if you are slow to finish a bottle.
What does it taste like?
Roasted, nutty, intense.
What allergens should I watch?
Sesame. Check the packet in your kitchen.
What can replace Toasted sesame oil?
a neutral oil (flavour will change) (low for finishing, fried rice). Texture is fine without it. The roasted-sesame smell is the point — skip rather than fake it, or use a few toasted sesame seeds if you can eat sesame.
Nutrition
Per 100g · estimate · USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables. Values are typical, not lab tests of your shopping bag.
Allergens: Sesame
Recipes using it
Bibimbap
비빔밥
A Korean rice bowl of seasoned vegetables, chilli paste and a runny yolk — mixed at the table until everything is the same red-gold colour.
1 hrMedium🌶️🌶️
Kimchi jjigae
김치찌개
A bubbling kimchi stew with tofu and pork — the Korean answer to 'what is in the fridge and why is it sour'.
50 minEasy🌶️🌶️🌶️
Shoyu ramen
醤油ラーメン
A soy-sauce ramen you can make at home without pretending you run a 20-year tonkotsu shop.
2 hrA bit of workNo chilli
Tteokbokki
떡볶이
Chewy rice cakes in a glossy gochujang sauce — the street stall that made K-food a late-night sport.
30 minEasy🌶️🌶️🌶️
Yangnyeom chicken
양념치킨
Twice-fried Korean chicken in a sticky sweet-chilli glaze — the reason 'chimaek' became a word.
1 hrMedium🌶️🌶️
Dakgangjeong
닭강정
Bite-size fried chicken in a sweet-soy-chilli glaze — snack-bar energy, not a whole bird.
45 minMedium🌶️🌶️
Gimbap
김밥
Sesame rice rolled in gim with pickled radish, egg and vegetables — picnic food, not sushi with a new passport.
55 minMediumNo chilli
Bulgogi
불고기
Thin beef in a soy-pear-sesame marinade, cooked hot until the edges caramelise.
1 hrEasyNo chilli
Galbi
갈비
Soy-sesame marinated beef short ribs, grilled until the bones get sticky and the edges char.
2 hr 40 minMediumNo chilli
Samgyeopsal
삼겹살
Thick pork belly grilled at the table, wrapped in lettuce with ssamjang, garlic and a bit of rice.
40 minEasyNo chilli
Jeyuk bokkeum
제육볶음
Spicy stir-fried pork with gochujang and gochugaru — weeknight heat with rice that you will need.
47 minEasy🌶️🌶️🌶️
Dakgalbi
닭갈비
Spicy stir-fried chicken with rice cakes, cabbage and sweet potato — Chuncheon's table-grill export.
50 minMedium🌶️🌶️🌶️
Japchae
잡채
Glossy sweet-potato noodles with sesame, soy and a rainbow of vegetables — banquet food that also does potluck.
55 minMediumNo chilli
Sundubu jjigae
순두부찌개
A raging bowl of soft tofu, chilli broth and a cracked egg — the stew you eat before the spoon melts.
35 minEasy🌶️🌶️🌶️
Miyeok-guk
미역국
Seaweed soup with beef or clams — the birthday breakfast, and the bowl you eat after giving birth.
45 minEasyNo chilli
Yukgaejang
육개장
Shredded beef soup, red with gochugaru, full of fernbrake and spring onion — hangover logic that also works at lunch.
1 hr 55 minMedium🌶️🌶️🌶️
Kimchi-bokkeumbap
김치볶음밥
Kimchi fried rice with a fried egg — the 10-minute argument for keeping sour kimchi and leftover rice.
18 minEasy🌶️🌶️
Gyeran-bap
계란밥
Hot rice, a fried or raw-ish egg, sesame oil and soy — the 4-ingredient bowl that still counts as cooking.
7 minEasyNo chilli
Mandu
만두
Korean dumplings — pork, tofu and chives in a thin wrapper, steamed, fried, or floated in soup.
1 hrMediumNo chilli
Dubu-kimchi
두부김치
Warm tofu with stir-fried kimchi and pork — a drinking-table plate that is also a real dinner with rice.
25 minEasy🌶️🌶️
Andong jjimdak
안동찜닭
Soy-braised chicken with glass noodles, potato and a lot of vegetables — Andong's sweet-savoury party pot.
1 hrMedium🌶️
Oi-muchim
오이무침
Smashed cucumber salad with gochugaru, garlic and sesame — the 10-minute banchan that wakes up a heavy table.
15 minEasy🌶️🌶️
Gamjatang
감자탕
Pork backbone and potato in a gochugaru pot — a late-night stew you eat with your hands and a lot of rice.
1 hr 55 minMedium🌶️🌶️🌶️
Bibim-naengmyeon
비빔냉면
The same chewy cold noodles as mul-naengmyeon, but tossed in a sweet-hot gochujang sauce instead of ice broth.
30 minEasy🌶️🌶️🌶️
Dakbokkeumtang
닭볶음탕
Chicken and potato braised in a gochujang pot until the sauce clings — also called dakdori-tang, still a weeknight hero.
1 hrEasy🌶️🌶️🌶️
Kongnamul-muchim
콩나물무침
Seasoned soybean sprouts — the banchan that is on the table even when you cooked nothing else.
15 minVery easyNo chilli
Sigeumchi-namul
시금치나물
Blanched spinach squeezed dry and seasoned with sesame — the other namul that lives in bibimbap.
11 minVery easyNo chilli
Gamja-jorim
감자조림
Potatoes soy-braised until they shine — the lunchbox banchan that tastes better cold.
35 minEasy🌶️
Gungjung-tteokbokki
궁중떡볶이
The older soy-sesame rice-cake stir-fry — court-style tteokbokki before the street went red.
30 minEasyNo chilli
Hiyayakko
冷奴
Cold tofu, summer logic — silken, chilled, and finished with ginger, spring onion and soy.
10 minVery easyNo chilli
Gyoza
餃子
Pan-fried dumplings, crisp on the bottom, steamed under a lid — Japanese potstickers with a garlic-forward pork filling.
55 minMediumNo chilli
Goma-ae
胡麻和え
Blanched spinach in a sweet sesame dressing — the banchan-shaped side that belongs next to rice.
13 minVery easyNo chilli