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.
How it is written in Korean
- 참깨chamkkaesesame seed
- 참기름chamgireumsesame oil
- 깨소금kkaesogeumroasted ground sesame
- 통깨tongkkaewhole sesame seeds
- 깨kkaesesame or perilla seed, ask which one
These are common words, not a complete list. A word missing here does not mean the ingredient is missing from the food.
Korean law does not require packaged food to name this ingredient in its allergy box, so 참깨 can be in the food without showing up there. Read the full ingredient list for the words above.
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.
- Mandu (Korean dumplings)Most home recipes finish the filling with sesame oil, and some add toasted sesame seeds too; neither can be seen once the dumpling is sealed.
- 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.
- Ganjang-gejang (soy sauce marinated raw crab)Sesame oil is listed among the brine seasonings in some descriptions, and the spicy yangnyeom version is tossed with sesame seeds and sesame oil.
- Haemul-pajeon (seafood scallion pancake)The soy-vinegar dipping sauce usually has sesame oil in it as well.
- Hotteok (sweet filled pancake)Sesame seeds are sometimes stirred into the sugar filling, and the glass noodle filling of vegetable hotteok is seasoned with sesame oil and sesame seeds.
- 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 20 dishes this site has researched. Dishes not listed here can contain it too.
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Sources we checked
This page is based on the references listed here. They were found with AI and actually opened and checked, and nothing on the page is generated while you use it. Source titles stay in their original language, each one comes with a line on what we checked there, and each link opens the other site in a new tab.
How we research and check these sourcesShow the 9 sources behind this page
- Gimbap - Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
Gimbap rice is seasoned with sesame oil and salt, and the roll is often brushed with sesame oil or topped with seeds.
- 양념 - 한국민족문화대백과사전 (opens in a new tab)
Sesame oil goes into namul and soups, and ground roasted sesame into namul, stir-fries and soups.
- 깨소금 - 위키백과, 우리 모두의 백과사전 (opens in a new tab)
Kkaesogeum is roasted sesame that has been ground.
- Sesame oil - Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
Samgyeopsal and galbi are dipped in sesame oil mixed with salt.
- Gim (food) - Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
Seasoned laver is brushed with sesame oil or perilla oil before toasting.
- Perilla oil - Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
Perilla oil and sesame oil are used in place of each other.
- 들깨 - 위키백과, 우리 모두의 백과사전 (opens in a new tab)
Kkaennip leaves come from the perilla plant, not from sesame.
- 반찬가게 창업ㆍ운영 > 준수사항 > 영업자의 준수사항 > 식품 등의 표시 기준 (본문) | 찾기쉬운 생활법령정보 (opens in a new tab)
Packaged food must name its allergens in a separate box near the ingredient list.
- 식품 등의 표시ㆍ광고에 관한 법률 시행규칙 - 국가법령정보센터 (opens in a new tab)
The annex to these labeling rules lists the allergens that packaged food must declare.