This Bougie New Sesame Oil Just Hit Whole Foods

You probably like sesame oil a lot more than you realize. It’s a staple ingredient in a major variety of Asian cuisines. You’ll find it in anything from porky, piping hot Tonkotsu ramen to the melt-in-your-mouth marinated beef at a Korean barbecue restaurant (and about a billion other dishes in between). 

Videos by Sporked

A lot of us keep sesame oil on hand in the pantry, especially if we’re inclined to whip up the occasional DIY stir-fry, ginger salad dressing, or pretty much anything that needs a clean yet nutty richness. But whether you’re sesame oil savvy or just looking to stock up your pantry, there’s a new bottle (with a familiar brand) in town: soy sauce megalith SAN-J just introduced its own first-ever sesame oil, SESAMO, and it’s now available at your local Whole Foods. 

A First Time For A Familiar Name

First off, SESAMO is a great name, kind of adorably mighty―like a character you’d meet on, well, Sesame Street. Come on, Sesame + Elmo? Sorry, we had to. While SESAMO is indeed SAN-J’s first foray into the sesame oil world, the company has been producing their banner tamari soy sauce since 1804 (you read that right). Point being, we have high hopes for deliciousness, even if this is a first attempt. 

And if you don’t know a ton about sesame oil, you can catch up quick. Yes, it’s a subtle and yet oddly powerful ingredient, but there are only a couple major distinctions to know about: smaller store bought brands (like SESAMO) are bound to have more nuanced flavor profiles than industrially refined oils, which are produced to achieve a higher smoke point, but in the process lose almost all the sesame flavor. Speaking of flavor, there’s another important distinction―sesame oil can be made with either toasted or untoasted sesame seeds. Besides production methods from brand to brand, that’s really what’s going to determine final flavor profiles. 

Low And Slow For Toasted Sesame Magic

SAN-J describes SESAMO as having a “smooth, nutty flavor and rich aroma with less bitterness.” That’s an important distinction. Sesame oil is a lean, nutty product, and while mass-produced seed oils can rely on extraction methods that result in harsher, clunkier, and even more bitter or acerbic flavor profiles, SAN-J’s takes pains in its production of SESAMO. The goal? To avoid the hint of anything that isn’t creamy, clean, and nutty-smooth in their final product. 

They do that by utilizing the traditional Japanese “teion baisen,” or low temperature toasting method, roasting their sesame seeds extremely gently before pressing, allowing the oil to retain its natural integrity and flavors, not to mention unsaturated fatty acids―that’s the heart-happy kind―and Vitamin E. Bonus points, the teoin baisen method also preserves something called “sesamol,” a powerful antioxidant that’s unique to sesame and has anti-inflammatory properties and (major bonus points) potential anti-aging applications. 

Of course, we’ll settle for “just” the powerful-yet-silky, nutty but still dainty flavor profile of SAN-J’s SESAMO. (But if we can erase some wrinkles with our ramen, all the better.)