Bento.com recipes - Green Beans in Sesame Dressing (Ingen no goma-ae)

Ingredients:

175g (6 oz.) frozen whole green beans
a pinch of salt

For the dressing:

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon caster sugar *
2/3 tablespoon dashi stock **
1/2 tablespoon miso paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Sesame enjoys a reputation of being a healthy food in Japan and both black and white sesame are common ingredients in Japanese cuisine. To toast the seeds for this recipe, simply put them in a frying pan without oil then heat while stirring until the seeds have puffed up and you can smell the distinctive aroma of sesame.

Directions

1. Boil the beans in a pan of water for 5 minutes or until tender.

2. Finely grind the sesame seeds in a pestle and mortar or in a coffee grinder. Add the sugar, dashi, miso paste and soy sauce and mix together well.

3. Toss the green beans in the sesame dressing and serve as a side dish.

* Caster sugar is superfine granulated sugar.

** See the recipe for dashi (Japanese fish stock); you can also make instant dashi from freeze-dried granules, available in many Asian grocery stores.

Reprinted with permission from the book:

Japanese Cooking for Two

by Kurumi Hayter

Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.

Japanese Cooking for Two is a revelation to anyone intrigued by the exquisite appearance and tastes of Japanese cuisine. The 54 dishes in this volume can be made from easily found ingredients that explore a wide range of flavours and textures.

ISBN 962 593 654 8

Y2100

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Find this book at your local English-language bookstore in Japan
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