I was first introduced to Gomasio, which is also known as sesame seed salt, when I started to change my diet due to Crohn’s disease. If you want to read more about my story you can click here.
Gomasio-Sesame Seed Salt is a wonderful alternative to add to salads providing a salty and nutty flavour, rather than using salt on its own. To provide extra flavour and nutrient value I usually add a sheet of nori seaweed to the mix.
You should be able to find it in your health food store, however if you’re unable to find it in the store, please find the recipe below to make your own.
Gomasio is traditionally made up of 2 ingredients: sesame seeds and salt.
The seeds are slightly toasted before they are mixed with the sea salt however as I mentioned I usually add the sheet of Nori seaweed which has been lightly toasted and broken up into tiny pieces for a richer flavour.
The sesame seed to salt ratio can vary according to your taste and diet requirements. It can range anywhere between 5:1 and 15:1, the number 1 being the salt.
Gomasio is a natural food rich in mineral salts, vitamins and nutrients being rich in calcium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin F, potassium, amino acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids due to the sesame seeds. It is delicious to add to your favourite salads, steamed vegetables, and legumes.
How to prepare Gomasio
What do you need: Organic sesame seeds; Organic whole grain sea salt; 1 sheet of Nori seaweed (optional); Pestle & mortar
Let’s start!
It’s a wonderful alternative to add to salads and vegetables providing a salty and nutty flavour, rather than using salt on its own. Place the sesame seeds in a thickly meshed colander and rinse under cold water. Drain well. Rinsing the sesame seeds promotes the elimination of the chelating substances, such as phytates, which are known to be responsible for reducing the absorption of certain minerals. Toast the sesame seeds over low heat ensuring that the sesame seeds do not burn to avoid the formation of substances which are potentially toxic to our health. Pour the seeds into a bowl and allow to cool. Place the salt into the mortar and start to grind it with the pestle. If you prefer, you can also toast the salt after the sesame seeds. In this case the salt will absorb the oil that was lost from the sesame seeds during their toasting. Slightly toast the Nori seaweed sheet. Add the cold sesame seeds to the salt in the mortar and the broken up pieces of Nori seaweed. Grind the ingredients, using the pestle. Using the mortar and pestle to grind the mixture ensures that active ingredients contained in the sesame seeds do not overheat so an electric blender is not recommended for grinding. Also Gomasio needs to be grainy and not creamy or powdery. The Gomasio is now ready to be used and can be kept in a glass jar, tightly closed, in a cool dry place, away from direct sunlight.GOMASIO-SESAME SEED SALT
Ingredients
Instructions
