Gomashio

I love going around thrift shops (often called op shops here, short for opportunity shops) and sometimes find the most unusual items.  Once I found a small kitchen utensil (I have a weakness for kitchen gadgets) in a very tattered box.  Nobody in the shop knew what it was and the only word on the box that I could identify was “gomashio” which was not something I had ever heard of before.  It was not expensive, so it came home with me.

Thank goodness for Google!  It turns out that I purchased a sesame seed grinder, or more specifically a grinder for a mixture of toasted sesame seeds and salt.  From what I can discover, gomashio is pronounced go(t)-mar-sheee-aw and is a dry condiment often used in Japanese cuisine.  I thought I would try this out, (being the adventurous soul that I am!), and loved the result.  This is the recipe I ended up using:

INGREDIENTS:

5 teaspoons white sesame seeds

2 teaspoons black sesame seeds

½ teaspoon fine salt crystals

METHOD:

Measure the sesame seeds into a dish and cover with cool water.  Leave to stand for several hours and then strain off the water (this neutralizes the oxalic acid the seeds contain and makes their calcium more readily available to be used by the body).

Place the drained seeds into a non-stick pan and dry-fry until they begin to turn golden and smell toasted, stirring them constantly with a wooden spoon.  

Some of the seeds will 'pop' once they begin to dry out.  Take care not to let them burn.

Pour the seeds into a bowl and set aside.

Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon fine salt crystals into the hot pan and swirl around to dry off any moisture on them.  Mix with the seeds and set aside to get cold.

This is the famous grinder.  Unscrew the base and fill the container with the seeds and salt mixture.  Turn the handle at the top (which also can be removed for cleaning) to grind the seed and dispense the seasoning from a small opening near the handle.

The seasoning could possibly be coarsely crushed in a mortar and pestle if no grinder was available.

Gomashio can be used almost anywhere that salt is used.  Sprinkle it over cooked rice, pasta, vegetables (especially green beans and corn cobs), popcorn, salads, even stews.  

Crumbled dried seaweed is sometimes added to the mixture, and commercial mixtures often contain sugar as well.

Feeding two teaspoons of gomashio to a drunk person is reputed to sober them up - but I have never tried this!

Always be open to new ideas,

Margaret.