Its sesame toasting time!

A few times a year I toast sesame seeds which I then use frequently as a condiment for many things. I like to toast a large amount in my electric wok.

Before I begin I go through a special ritual with the wok which I usually only do on these occasions when roasting sesame seeds: I completely scrape the wok with a scraper (see below):

Then I use paper towels and scrape off the fine powder and remaining residue from the wok. The end result is that the wok is very clean but still has its conditioning from all the use it gets. Its important to never wash a wok with soap because it ruins the conditioning of it.

I then put the sesame seeds in the wok and roast them. Sesame seeds take what I would consider a very high temperature to roast well. I am not a high-heat wok-cooking person. I know that’s how woks are supposed to be used but I don’t. I prefer making things at lower temperatures. When I make the sesame seeds I have to turn it higher than I ever do for cooking anything.

But I usually start out at a lower temp and let the seeds heat up gradually. I don’t just amp it up right away.

I also think its good to keep stirring the seeds a lot while they are toasting. But again they can take pretty high heat. But its important not to overheat them and ruin them.

It takes a while for them to roast well. Its probably easy to not toast them sufficiently. If they aren’t toasted sufficiently they will still have a kind of raw taste to them. One can tell when they are toasted well. They become golden colored and they have that wonderful, toasted sesame seed flavor.

Toasted sesame seeds make an excellent gift which is one reason I like to make a large batch. They will keep for a very long time and make an excellent condiment for many things including salads, rice or other grains, steamed or stir-fry veggies, miso soup, etc.