Green Beans Gomae with Sesame Dressing
Crisp-tender green beans are tossed in a nutty, lightly sweet Japanese sesame dressing made from freshly ground toasted sesame seeds, soy sauce and sugar. A classic make-ahead side that pairs with grilled fish, rice bowls and bento.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 4 min
- Wait
- 10 min
- Total
- 29 min
- Makes
- About 3 cups (4 small side-dish servings)
Steps
Before you start
- Fill a large bowl with ice and water before you start cooking so the beans can be shocked the moment they come out of the pot.
- If your sesame seeds are not already toasted, toast them first (step 1); the toasting is where most of the flavor comes from.
- Gomae is traditionally served at room temperature or chilled, so you can make it up to a few hours ahead.
Toast the sesame seeds
- Place the 3 tbsp (28 g) sesame seeds in a dry 8-inch (20 cm) skillet over medium-low heat.
- Shake the pan constantly for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Pre-toasted seeds only need about 1 minute to warm through.
- Tip them onto a plate right away to stop the cooking.
- Set aside 1 tsp for garnish.
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Ready when: Seeds are light golden, smell nutty, and a few start to pop. They should not turn dark brown.
Tip: Seeds burn in seconds once they start to color, so do not walk away.
Grind the dressing
- Put the remaining toasted seeds in a suribachi or spice grinder.
- Grind for 1 to 2 minutes until about three-quarters of the seeds are broken and the mixture looks like a coarse, slightly oily paste.
- Stir in the soy sauce, sugar, mirin and 1 tbsp water or dashi until the sugar dissolves and the dressing is thick but spoonable.
- Scrape into a medium mixing bowl.
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Ready when: Dressing is a thick, creamy-tan paste with visible flecks of seed.
Tip: Leave some seeds partly whole for texture; grinding to a completely smooth butter makes the dressing heavy.
Prepare ice bath and water
- Fill a large bowl with the ice and 4 cups (1 L) cold water.
- Bring 3 quarts (3 L) water to a rolling boil in a large pot over high heat, then stir in the 1 tbsp (18 g) kosher salt.
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Ready when: Water is at a full, rolling boil.
Tip: Well-salted water seasons the beans and helps keep their green color.
Blanch the green beans
- Add the trimmed green beans to the boiling water.
- Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, uncovered, stirring once.
- Taste one bean after 3 minutes.
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Ready when: Beans are bright green and crisp-tender: they bend slightly and have a little snap, with no raw grassy taste.
Tip: Do not cover the pot; trapped steam dulls the color.
Shock in ice water
- Using a slotted spoon, move the beans straight into the ice bath.
- Stir for about 1 minute to cool them quickly.
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Ready when: Beans feel completely cold to the touch.
Drain and dry well
- Lift the beans out of the ice water and drain in a colander for 1 minute.
- Spread them on a clean kitchen towel, fold over, and press gently to blot off all surface water.
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Ready when: Beans look matte with no water drops on the surface.
Tip: Wet beans will thin the dressing and make it watery and pale.
Toss with dressing
- Add the dried beans to the bowl with the sesame dressing.
- Toss with a spoon or clean hands for about 30 seconds until every piece is evenly coated.
- Taste and add a few drops more soy sauce if you want it saltier.
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Ready when: Beans are evenly coated in a thick tan dressing with no pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
Tip: Dress shortly before serving for the brightest green color; the soy sauce slowly dulls the beans.
Serve
- Pile the beans into a small serving bowl or divide among four small dishes.
- Sprinkle with the reserved 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds.
- Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Good to know
Tips
- Grinding the seeds just before mixing releases their oils and gives far more aroma than pre-ground sesame.
- Cut the beans to a uniform length so they cook evenly and are easy to eat with chopsticks.
- Start with 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, then adjust; brands vary a lot in saltiness.
- Work in one batch only if your pot is large; crowding drops the water temperature and dulls the beans.
Make ahead
"Blanch, shock, dry and refrigerate the beans up to 1 day ahead in a covered container lined with a paper towel. Make the dressing up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate. Toss together just before serving."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: up to 2 hours. Refrigerator: dressed gomae keeps 2 days in an airtight container (color will fade); undressed beans keep 1 day. Freezer: not recommended, as the beans turn soft. Serve cold or let stand 15 minutes at room temperature; do not reheat."
Substitutions
- fresh green beans → Asparagus, spinach, broccoli or snow peas. Adjust blanching: spinach 30 seconds, asparagus 2 minutes, broccoli florets 2 minutes.
- mirin → Extra 1/2 tsp sugar plus 1/2 tsp water. Slightly less depth but works fine.
- Japanese soy sauce → Tamari. Makes the dish gluten-free; check the label.
- white sesame seeds → Tahini (1 tbsp) plus 1 tbsp whole toasted seeds. Smoother, creamier dressing when you have no grinder; thin with a little water.