A Japanese Twist for Green Beans
Wednesday, August 11, 2010 at 04:00AM 
You’re probably wondering what gomae is. Gomae is a Japanese dressing. Toasted sesame seeds, soy sauce and sugar are mashed together with a little water to make a dressing for hot steamed vegetables. You can use it on green beans, spinach, chard or any vegetable you like. It’s very tasty and low fat as well.
My friend Elaine is married to a Japanese man. He also happens to be a terrific cook who has learned many great recipes from his mother. When we had dinner at their house a few years ago, John served gomae with steamed green beans. The beans were lightly seasoned and had a delicious nutty and savory flavor. John gave me the recipe, and after I saw how easy it was I’ve made it often.
He even bought me the special gomae bowl and rounded-end dowel used to mash the sesame seeds with the other ingredients. The bowl has a rough inside surface and working the seeds against the rough surface grinds them down to almost a paste. The bowl is sold in Japanese specialty stores, but you don’t need a special bowl to make it. A food processor works just as well.
Gomae continues to be one of our favorite dressings for hot green beans, and we also like it on steamed spinach and chard.
Gomae
1 pound fresh green beans, stem removed
3 T freshly toasted sesame seeds
2 T water
5 t soy sauce
½ t sugar
Heat a small skillet over medium heat. No oil is necessary. When it’s hot, toss in the sesame seeds and shake them around until they’re golden and toasted. Pour them into a bowl and set aside to cool.
In a gomae bowl or food processor, combine 2 tablespoons of the seeds with the soy sauce, sugar and water and blend until crushed and fairly smooth. Reserve the third tablespoon to sprinkle on top.
Cut the beans in half. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the beans and cook a few minutes until they are cooked but still crisp. Remove from heat and drain.
Return the beans to the cooking pan, add the gomae and toss with two large spoons to combine. Place in serving bowl or individual plates and top with the reserved sesame seeds. Serve while hot.
Enjoy!
©Pauline Boren 2010
Any questions or comments? Contact me at conservativecook@gmail.com.
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