Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette – Culinary Seasons

This vinaigrette hits all the flavor points Savory from the earthiness of the sesame oil Salty, Sweet, Acidic & a touch Spicy. It will make it to your regular rotation of dressings for salads, cold noodle salads and even as a marinade. The recipe can be made Gluten Free if Tamari is substituted for the Soy Sauce.

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Sesame Seeds and Oil

Interestingly, as much as Japan and China use sesame seeds, even though the plants are grown in these countries they are the largest importers as well. Japan is the number one importer of Sesame Seeds, followed in second place by China. The countries that grow and produce the most sesame seeds for export are Sudan, India and Tanzania. Many central and east African countries and some southeast Asian countries grow them as well. The plant is very drought tolerant which is why they grow well in these growing areas. Which explains why many of these countries cuisines utilize the sesame seed.

Sesame seeds grow in a pod that looks similar to okra and in the way it contains many seeds. The seed pods will burst once the pod dries enough, similar to other seed pods like poppy plants or larkspur. If you are familiar with the flower Foxglove, the flowers on Sesame plants look very similar as well.

Overuse of sesame oil in many cuisines can be overpowering and can turn off some people. Toasted sesame oil can be a bold addition to recipes, use sparingly. Remember you can’t take it out of a recipe but you can always add more.

Ginger and what is a Rhizome

Documented use of Ginger can be traced back to writings from Confucius, some time between 475-221 BC. During his time ginger was used in cooking as well as medicinal uses, much in the same way it is used today. The plant originates from south and east Asia due to the climate being ideal for growing ginger.

India also has some of the oldest documented usage of ginger. They rank as first in the production of ginger, more than double the next production of the second place country, but only rank as seventh in exporting. Which gives insight as to how much is used in their cuisine and medicinally. Nigeria and China make up the second and third place for production of ginger respectively.

Ginger falls into the category of a rhizome. A rhizome, also called a creeping rootstock. If you look at a hand of ginger, each finger has the potential to develop a shoot that will grow upward into stems producing meter long narrow leaf blades. Those ‘hands’ of ginger will spread underground developing other offshoots of the plant. In the rhizome category are other culinary used plants as well as flowering rhizomes that are not edible. The culinary used rhizomes include ginger, galangal (looks similar to ginger but has a shiny skin) a spicy cousin to ginger, turmeric, and lotus.

There are some types of bamboo that are from the rhizome family but there are many types of bamboo plants sold at stores that are not edible. Stick with the canned bamboo shoots to be safe.

Some examples of nonedible types of rhizomes are Cannas, Calla Lilies and Bearded Iris. Once again all these spread underground in a similar fashion to the ‘hand’ of ginger to spread and grow.

Ginger may have roots (pun intended) in many cultures and cuisines, but one thing that has remained since the days of Confucius is the health benefits, plus it is also delicious in your culinary adventures.

This dressing does not stay emulsified. It will separate. You can substitute the chili oil for more sesame oil if you do not like spice. The spice level is mild for the dressing but you may want to adjust depending on your tolerance of spice. The spice level of chili oil can also depend on if you make it yourself vs the store brand of oil.

Can substitute Tamari for Soy Sauce to make this vinaigrette Gluten Free.

Dressing makes approximately 2 1/2 cups.

Recipe for Asian Chopped Salad with Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette & Japanese BBQ Pork Tenderloin