Sesame Oil: Toasted or Cold-Pressed? Types and Uses
Sesame oil comes in two kinds: toasted sesame oil is dark brown, smells intensely nutty and serves as a seasoning oil that you add in small amounts at the end of a dish or in dressings. Light sesame oil, cold-pressed from untoasted seeds, tastes mild and suits cooking and frying over medium heat.
Fact sheet
- Also known as
- geröstetes Sesamöl, dunkles Sesamöl, xiāngyóu (香油), chamgireum (참기름), goma abura (ごま油), helles Sesamöl
- Origin
- Ostasien (geröstet), Indien und Naher Osten (hell)
- Taste
- geröstet: intensiv nussig und röstig; hell: mild nussig
- Substitute
- geröstete, zerstoßene Sesamsaat in neutralem Öl, chinesische Sesampaste
- Storage
- verschlossen, kühl und dunkel, geöffnet mehrere Monate
- Where to buy
- Asia-Regal im Supermarkt, Ölregal oder Bioladen (hell), Asialaden, online
Toasted and light sesame oil
For toasted sesame oil, producers roast the sesame seeds before pressing them. The roasting brings color and aroma. The oil is amber to dark brown and smells of roasted nuts. Chinese, Korean and Japanese cooking use mainly this kind.
Light sesame oil comes from untoasted seeds. It is pale yellow, hardly smells and tastes mildly nutty. In India and the Middle East many people cook and fry with it. There is also refined sesame oil, which tastes almost neutral and tolerates high temperatures.
| Feature | Toasted sesame oil | Light sesame oil |
|---|---|---|
| Color | amber to dark brown | pale yellow |
| Aroma | intense, nutty, toasty | mild, slightly nutty |
| Amount | a few drops to 1 tsp | like any other cooking oil |
| Heating | briefly over medium heat, best not at all | frying over medium heat |
| Typical use | dressings, marinades, namul, noodles, soups | Indian cooking, frying, salads |
The names help when shopping: in Chinese, toasted sesame oil is xiāngyóu (香油), “fragrant oil”, in Korean chamgireum (참기름). In Japan you find goma abura (ごま油) toasted and taihaku goma abura (太白胡麻油) untoasted. Korean perilla oil, deulgireum, comes from a different plant and tastes more herbal.
Why you don't heat toasted sesame oil hard
In a hot wok the roasted compounds burn quickly. The oil smokes, tastes bitter, and the aroma you bought it for disappears. So fry with a neutral oil with a high smoke point, such as canola or peanut oil, and add the toasted sesame oil only at the end or off the heat. A brief sauté over medium heat, as Korean cooks do for vegetables, works. How to prepare your wok for high heat is under Seasoning a wok.
Uses in the kitchen
Toasted sesame oil is strong. Half a teaspoon is enough for a portion of soup or noodles, and a teaspoon is enough for a dressing. Typical uses:
- Korean side dishes: You season namul such as Sigeumchi namul with spinach or Gosari namul with fernbrake with sesame oil, salt and garlic.
- Rice and glass noodles: Over Bibimbap you add a few drops at the end, and you toss Japchae with it. For Gimbap you season the rice with salt and sesame oil and brush the finished roll with it.
- Noodles and sauces: In Dan dan mian sesame oil goes into the sauce. For Rayu, Japanese chili oil, chili and spices steep in sesame oil.
- Dips and marinades: Sesame oil with salt and pepper is a Korean dip for grilled meat. With soy sauce, rice vinegar and garlic it becomes a dip for dumplings.
- Soups: A few drops on wonton soup, egg drop soup or congee just before serving.
Substitutes for sesame oil
There is no equal substitute for toasted sesame oil. The closest you get is this: toast 1 tbsp sesame seeds without fat until golden brown, crush them in a mortar and stir with 2 tbsp neutral oil. Let steep for 15 minutes and strain if you like. A spoonful of Chinese sesame paste from toasted seeds also brings the toasty aroma but changes the consistency. If you leave sesame oil out, the fragrance is missing, but the dish still works.
Buying and storing
You find toasted sesame oil in most supermarkets in the Asian aisle, light sesame oil often with the cooking oils or at a health food store. An Asian grocery store has several brands and larger bottles, online as well. Read the label: some cheap dark oils mix sesame oil with soybean oil. Look for the note 100% sesame oil.
Store sesame oil closed, cool and dark. Toasted sesame oil keeps several months once opened; use a small bottle before it loses aroma. In the refrigerator light oil can turn cloudy and clears again at room temperature. If the oil smells of paint or old nuts, it is rancid.
Allergens: Sesame is among the 14 major allergens that must be listed on packaging in the EU. Sesame oil contains sesame too; check the label on blended oils and ready-made sauces. Which other oils and sauces belong in your pantry is shown in the Asian pantry list.