Sesame in Korean food
Sesame (참깨)
Sesame oil and sesame seeds are the finishing touch of Korean cooking, so they are usually there even when sesame is not in the name of the dish.
Where it hides in Korean food
Gimbap rice is seasoned with sesame oil and salt, and the rolled outside is often brushed with sesame oil or sprinkled with seeds. Japanese sushi rolls use vinegar instead.
Sesame oil goes into seasoned vegetables and soups, and kkaesogeum, ground roasted sesame, goes into stir-fries and dressings. Despite the word for salt in its name, kkaesogeum is mainly ground roasted sesame.
Grilled meat such as samgyeopsal and galbi is dipped in gireumjang, sesame oil mixed with salt. The seasoned laver served as a side dish is also brushed with sesame oil or perilla oil before toasting.
Perilla oil is a roasted seed oil used in the same places as sesame oil, but perilla is a different plant from sesame. The Korean word kkae appears in both names, and kkaennip leaves come from perilla, so the name alone does not tell you which one it is.
Dishes that contain it
Usually in it
- BibimbapSesame oil is poured over the bowl or left on the table for you to add. Where you add it yourself you can skip it, but namul such as spinach and bracken are dressed with sesame oil and seeds, so sesame is still there. The hot stone version coats the bowl with sesame oil to crisp the rice.
- BulgogiSesame oil goes into the marinade itself, and toasted sesame seeds are often scattered over the cooked meat as well.
- GimbapThe rice is mixed with sesame oil instead of the vinegar used in Japanese rolls, and the outside of the roll is often brushed with more oil or sprinkled with seeds.
- JapchaeSesame oil is the second of the two core seasonings next to soy sauce, and toasted sesame seeds go on top as the finishing garnish.
- SamgyeopsalTwo dips usually sit by the grill: gireum-jang, which is sesame oil with salt and pepper, and ssamjang, which also has sesame oil mixed in.
Sometimes in it
- Galbi (grilled short ribs)Sesame oil and sesame seeds go into the marinade for seasoned galbi. Plain saeng-galbi is often dipped in gireumjang, the sesame oil and salt dip that barbecue restaurants commonly serve.
- Haemul-pajeon (seafood scallion pancake)The soy-vinegar dipping sauce usually has sesame oil in it as well.
- Korean fried chickenSesame seeds are another common garnish on sauced chicken, sprinkled on after it is brushed with the glaze.
- Sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew)Toasted sesame oil is one of the listed seasonings of the broth, so it is mixed through the soup.
Based on the 14 dishes this site has researched. Dishes not listed here can contain it too.