Neutral oil + crushed toasted sesame seedsEasy to find
For each 1 tsp sesame oil: 1 tsp neutral oil + ½ tsp toasted sesame seeds, crushed
Gets you the nutty smell, just not quite as rich.
▼ nutty
Ingredient guide
Toasted sesame oil 참기름
Oil pressed from roasted sesame seeds, dark amber and intensely nutty. In Korean cooking it is a seasoning and finishing oil, drizzled on at the end rather than used for high-heat frying.
Taste
Deeply nutty and toasty.
What to look for
Check the label says "toasted" or "roasted" (참기름). Plain sesame oil has almost no flavor.
Storing it
Keep tightly capped in a cool, dark cupboard and use within about six months of opening.
How to find Toasted sesame oil, anywhere
Works in any country — look for these names, in these kinds of shops.
Names to look for
- toasted sesame oil
- roasted sesame oil
- 참기름
Show this at the shop참기름
Where to look
- Any supermarket's Asian or international aisle
- Korean and Asian grocery stores
Watch out for
- Pick the dark, toasted oil — light sesame oil has almost no flavor.
- It is a finishing oil; add it at the end of cooking.
Can't find Toasted sesame oil? Use this instead
Honest swaps, with amounts per unit of the original and how the dish will change.
Leave it outEasy to find
Skip it
It is a finishing aroma — the dish still works, it just smells less nutty.
▼ nutty
Where to buy it near you
Recipes that use Toasted sesame oil
Leftover hero
Kimchi Fried Rice
Day-old rice, sour kimchi and a runny egg on top.
Rice bowl
Bibimbap
Rice, whatever veggies you have, a fried egg — no hot stone bowl needed.
Itaewon Class
Sundubu-jjigae
The after-closing stew from Park Saeroyi's pub.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo
Gimbap
Roll it like Woo Young-woo — with whatever fillings you can find.
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