black sesame milk

As you might remember, last week, I have been using black sesame tahini to make the red beet humus. A savory, nutritious humus you should give a try if you haven’t yet. And this week, I would like to continue exploring the black sesame theme and introduce you to cold and hot black sesame milk. A beverage, I first discovered in South Korea.

I love to explore and learn about a country through their food, an important part of their daily life

Because no matter where in the world, in any country and culture, food is an important part of daily life. Food is connecting people and brings them together. So, when I am visiting a country for the first time, I am always exploring the culture through their food first, try to scout the foods I am not familiar with. That’s why I love to visit fresh markets, grocery stores and stroll through the grocery departments in big department stores. I call it my on-sight anthropological “research”.

I am first mindfully observing the way the food is displayed. What are the specialties? Are there special fruits or veggies? What kind of baked good do they offer? How do they prepare the food and do they use special tools to prepare them? And being a vegetarian, I am always interested what the vegetarian or vegan options this country is offering.

It was in South Korea that I first discovered black sesame milk

Black sesame milk, black sesame paste and black sesame tahini  are some of the wonders I found and explored when I was visiting Seoul in South Korea for the first time. On my food excursion, I was strolling through the Lotte department store in Seoul. There, I came upon small packages of black sesame milk, black bean and black sesame soy milk among other non-dairy milks I never had seen before. I could not read the labels though, but with pictures on these small packages, I thought I’ll give it a try. And so, I bought two packs each. They were all very delicious I must say. But I totally fell in love with the unique nutty, toasted flavor of the black sesame milk because it was so surprisingly different. With its roasted, toasted, nutty flavor and a slight hint of bitterness this black sesame milk was a totally new taste experience on my palate. And in my imagination, it opened up combinations for sweet and savory dishes alike. 

I never forgot this taste and when I found the black sesame tahini in the Asian store, these memories immediately came back. So, I started to experiment with this delicious, nourishing black sesame tahini. Familiar with the nourishing protein-rich white sesame tahini, I wanted to find out if there is a difference to the black sesame version. So, let’s find out.

what are the health benefits of black sesame?

In Chinese medicine black sesame milk is considered an ultra yin and blood nourishing drink that supports energy and longevity. Black sesame seeds contain natural antioxidants and tocopherols, the main component in Vitamin E. Together with the oleic acid it helps to keep your skin moist by repairing and restoring the skin barrier, lock in moisture, reducing redness and itching. So, these tiny black sesame seeds provide you with a lot of anti-aging benefits.

Black sesame seeds also contain the stress relieving minerals of magnesium, calcium and traces of minerals such as copper and zinc. With serotonin  and natural melanin they are calming and support a better sleep. And in comparison to white sesame seeds, these tiny little black seeds have a higher iron content. That’s why they are highly recommended for people suffering from anemia.

Besides all these wonderful health benefits, black sesame milk is soooo tasty, almost becomes addictively delicious with every sip. You should give it a try to let me know what you think. And if you like it better hot or cold. Just leave a commend under the recipe and rate it.

What if you can’t find black sesame tahini?

If you can’t find black sesame tahini in a store near you, you can order it here. Or you can make your own with roasted black sesame seeds.

how to make black sesame milk from the seeds

just soak 1/4 C of the seeds overnight, strain and rinse them. In a blender add the soaked seeds to 1 cup of either hot or cold coconut milk (or your preferred plant-based milk). Add one pinch of salt and the sweetener of your choice and blend until everything is fully incorporated, smooth and frothy.

make your own black sesame tahini

You also can make your own black sesame tahini in your blender or food processor. It just needs a bit of patience, since it takes about 5-7 minutes until it turns into basically black sesame butter. Add 1 C of roasted black sesame seeds (makes about 1/2 C of sesame tahini) in your food processor or blender. And after about 3 minutes until the seeds start to break up and stick to the sides. Scrape everything from the sides and add 1 Tbsp. of sesame oil (you can use a neutral oil like grape seed oil as well). Continue to blend until it becomes a tar-like texture, black and very shiny. Scrape it into a glass jar where It keeps fresh for at least 2 months. No need to refrigerate! If it even lasts that long since you will use it up pretty soon anyway….