It’s time we settled the old Hellman’s vs Miracle Whip debate once and for all; Japanese mayo is the best mayo hands down. Richer, thicker, and with more yolky goodness than its American counterparts, it is essential to this Roasted Sesame Dressing. (And this Potato Salad too!) Japanese mayo has a mild, sweet tang from rice vinegar, and its thickness makes it a perfect addition to dips (try it with Fried Chicken)  and dressings.  You can find it in the international aisle of well stocked grocery stores, or in Asian markets and online. Kewpie brand is the original but there are a bunch of knock offs that taste identical.

Once you have the world’s best mayo, you can make a batch of this Roasted Sesame Dressing and use it enhance everything from simple salads, coleslaw, or use it as a dip for veggies. All kidding aside though, you don’t have to go out and buy another mayonnaise. This dressing has so much flavor that using what you have in the fridge is just fine.

Making Roasted Sesame Dressing

This roasted dressing is what I would equate to Japan’s version of Ranch dressing. It’s everywhere and every salad dressing/sauce brand has their own version. It’s creamy, deeply sesame flavored, and goes with so many more things besides salad. Like ranch, you can use it as a dip for all kinds of fried goodies, top it on some grilled veggies, or use it to baste simple roast chicken. And it has so much more flavor! Move over ranch, a new player is here.

Whipping up this dressing couldn’t be more simple. It gets its depth of flavor from freshly roasted sesame seeds, and pantry essentials like rice vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil.  I start by toasting the sesame seeds, even if they are already roasted. (If you can get your hands on raw unhulled sesame seeds, it’s even better.) Nothing beats the flavor and fragrance of freshly toasted seeds. This takes just a few minutes.

Roasted Sesame Dressing keeps well for a week. Just keep it in the fridge and give it a stir before you drizzle in on salads, veggies, even sandwiches.

Try this easy dressing and let me know what you think. Rate and comment on the recipe and tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!

Roasted Sesame Dressing

• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 2 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 12 minutes
• Yield: makes 1 cup 1x
• Category: condiment
• Cuisine: Japanese

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Ingredients

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• ¼ cup toasted sesame seeds 
• ⅓ cup japanese mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce*
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 large clove garlic finely minced

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Instructions

1. Place the sesame seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat.
2. Lightly toast them for 3-5 minutes until they are a golden color and fragrant.
3. Place them in a mortar and grind them coarsely. (Alternatively, you can also place the sesame seeds in a heavy duty plastic zip top bag, squeeze out all of the air, and crush the seeds by using a rolling pin until you have the right ground texture.)
4. Brush the sesame seeds out of the mortar and into a bowl.
5. Add the mayonnaise, sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic. Mix well.
6. Refrigerate until ready to use. Roasted Sesame Dressing keeps well for a week. Stir before using.

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Notes

*to make this gluten free be sure to use a GF soy sauce

*use a vegan mayonnaise to make a vegan friendly version

*if you can find unhulled sesame seeds, you are such a lucky person and I envy you! Toast the sesame seeds exactly the same way but for several minutes longer until they are a medium golden color. They should be very fragrant. Turn the heat down a little if you see the sesame seeds getting too dark.

Keywords: dressing, salads, healthy, japanese, summer, sesame