I struggled with what to call this one but I always have a jar of it in the fridge. This is my secret to a drool worthy bowl of noodles. I’ve been known to spoon some into my pan of breakfast mushrooms or use it to add flavour to plain rice.
Spend a few spare minutes on toasting some spices and mixing this together and I swear you’ll have a jar full of fragrant deliciousness. My fridge isn’t complete without of jar of this stuff and nor will yours once you try it!
- Makes: 500ml (aprox)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
- 1 tsp Szechuan Peppercorns
- 3 tsp Chilli Flakes
- 1 Star Anise
- 200ml Oil (a flavourless oil with a high smoke point like peanut or rapeseed oil)
- 60ml Soy Sauce Substitute (See Allergy note below)
- 1 1/2 Rice Wine Vinegar
- 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 3 Sping Onions, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
- 125ml Vegetable Stock
- 1/2 Tbsp Cornstarch
Directions
Start by placing the sesame seeds and peppercorns into a pestle and mortar. Lightly bash until the peppercorns are broken and the sesame seeds have just started releasing their oil. If you don’t have a pestle and mortar then no worries here! A coffee mug and a rolling pin, or study zip lock bag and a frying pan can perform the same function.
Place a dry pan on a medium heat, the pan should be wide enough that the sesame seeds and spices can all lay in a single layer. Place the smashed sesame seeds and peppercorns into the pan along with the star anise and chilli flakes. Gently toast the spices, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and the sesame seeds have taken on some colour. Remove from the pan before moving to the next step. Don’t leave in the pan as they can continue to cook in the residual heat, causing them to burn.
Dissolve the cornstarch in a tablespoon of stock to form a thin paste. Now place all the ingrediants into a small pan and on to a medium heat. Heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce come into a lively boil. If you’re planning on using the sauce straight away then turn the heat to very low and keep warm until ready to use. If you want to store this then allow to cool completely before pouring into a jar. Seal and store in the fridge. Mine next lasts for long but it should keep quite happily for about 2 weeks.
Use on everything – stir fry a pile of noodles, saute some mushrooms, marinade a burger. Enjoy!
Notes
The longer you leave the sauce the more the spices will marinade and pass on their flavours. Try to avoid dishing out the star anise when taking the odd spoonful of this sauce. It will happily sit marinading in your jar but won’t taste anywhere near as nice in between your teeth!
Allergy Notes; I’m going to keep saying this – Soy Sauce is NOT gluten free as the brewing process contains wheat. A good gluten free option is Tamari which normally contains little to no gluten, is slightly less salty, and thicker than soy sauce. As always, check your brand to make sure you’ve not accidentally picked up one of the few brands which uses gluten. We use coconut aminos in our house, while not quite as rich as soy sauce, it’s both gluten free and soy free but different brands vary tremendously – you may have to look around before finding one that suits you.
This is gluten free and vegan – I’m afraid I can’t recommend cutting out the sesame seeds on this so if this is an allergen for you then I’ll so sorry!
