Gomashio
Goma (Sesame) and Shio (Salt) are a match made in heaven. In addition to being the absolute easiest Japanese home processing recipe, the pay-off for making gomashio at home is huge in terms of flavor and nutritive value. No wonder why it’s one of my favorite things to make!
I first discovered gomashio in 2009, when I was studying Macrobiotics at the Natural Epicurean Academy. Gomashio is such a staple of Macrobiotic cuisine that it is common to find vessels filled with gomashio on every table at restaurants that follow the Japanese philosophy — instead of salt shakers that you find standard American establishments.
To make gomashio, you barely need a formal recipe! Just measure out the ratio of sesame seeds to salt, roast them, and grind them together. By volume, the most typical ratio is 16 parts sesame to 1 part salt, but feel free to adjust it up or down according to your personal preference. I’ve seen some recipes that go as low as 8:1 and some as high as 48:1.
When sesame seeds are toasted and ground to make gomashio, something transformative happens to the proteins that makes them more bioavailable and enhances their umami deliciousness. By toasting sesame seeds until they are golden and aromatic and then grinding them with salt, the natural oils from the seeds coat the salt, and the proteins in the sesame seeds get partially broken down into easily digestible amino acids.
This gives your body a bit of a break from having to do so much digestive work. Since consuming foods that have been perfectly cooked is biologically advantageous to our digestive system, our taste buds have evolved to crave them, and we experience foods like gomashio as delicious, savory or -- as the Japanese would call it -- “umami”.
In other words, gomashio a flavor bomb with MORE minerals (10x as much calcium as milk!), MORE nutrients (hello bioavailable proteins!) and LESS sodium than regular table salt.
In addition to being one of my favorite toppings for rice, gomashio makes a umami-rich garnish for lots of grains and vegetables including: quinoa, noodles, blanched broccoli, roasted vegetables, potatoes, salads, soups, avocado toast, and onigiri.
I can’t emphasize enough how easy it is, and the pay-off for making it at home is huge in terms of flavor and cost. While there are store-bought gomashio condiments available, I don’t recommend them because they are quite a bit more expensive than what it would cost to buy bulk sesame seeds and salt, and pre-packaged gomashio doesn’t even come close to the nutty aroma and umami flavor of freshly toasted gomashio.
Gomashio stored in an airtight jar will retain its maximum freshness for about 10-14 days, so I recommend making at least 8 oz at a time to have on hand and/or keep it right on your table for a delicious nutrient-rich salt substitute!
Basic Gomashio
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Salt (15g)
- 1 cup Sesame Seeds (125g)
Instructions
1. Roast and Grind Salt
Heat a skillet over medium heat and roast the salt until dry and loose. Place the roasted salt in a suribachi* and grind into a very fine powder.
2. Roast Sesame Seeds
Adjust the heat down. Place the seeds in the skillet and dry roast them, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon for even roasting, about 2 minutes. When the seeds become aromatic and begin to pop, they are ready. If the seeds begin to smoke, the heat is too high and you should quickly remove the pan from the heat and lower the flame or else the sesame will turn bitter.
3. Grind Seeds with Salt
Pour the finished seeds in the suribachi* along with the salt. Using a circular motion and a gentle steady pressure, grind the sesame into the salt until about 70–80% of the seeds are ground. It takes only a light touch to crush the roasted seeds.
*Note: A suribachi is an earthenware mortar with a wooden pestle common to Japanese households. If you don’t have one, you can make gomashio in a blender, spice grinder or food processor, but be careful not to overblend, or it will turn it into a flour or eventually a paste!
Storing Information: Let cool completely before storing in an airtight jar. Gomashio stored in an airtight jar will retain maximum freshness for about two weeks.