What if the beloved sesame paste, tahini, could take on the toasty depth of a roasted nut? Well, it can and does.
Meet zhi ma jiang, or roasted sesame paste, an ingredient widely used in Chinese cooking from a sauce addition to noodles, as a salad dressing, or in desserts. It has a deep roasted flavour similar to peanut butter, but with significant sesame punch. Thank you Maillard reaction.
Zhi ma jiang differs to tahini as it’s made using hulled white sesame seeds that have been heavily roasted. can be made using hulled or un-hulled sesame seeds, but often the roasting process is minimal to none.
This isn’t necessarily true for all tahinis though, as a ‘red’ variety exists made from heavily-roasted seeds giving a rustic colour to the paste, thus lending it the name.
Not to be confused with the darker colour of which earns this from its shell, not roasting, Chinese sesame paste usually takes on a dark caramel-brown colour, deeper than peanut butter and with extra lip-smacking texture.
In Shanghai, the paste is popularly used to drizzle on top of fresh wheat noodles with chilli oil, vinegar, soy and chopped spring onions.
In Chengdu, it’s mixed through thick wheat noodles with a similar base, which also includes Sichuan peppercorns and spiced pork mince to create .
Uses are endless, from region to region and zhi ma jiang is also baked into biscuits, buns and pastries or served as a dipping sauce for hot pot. It's slightly thinner than peanut butter but is still high in oil, so give it a good stir prior to use to make sure the oil and solids haven't' separated and for a longer shelf-life, it's best kept in the fridge once opened - although once you've cracked the seal the options really are endless, so experiment.
While you're at home, perhaps it's time to put this paste on spread rotation as it tastes great on toast or used in place of any kind of nut butter/tahini.
Most Asian grocers and supermarkets will sell the zhi ma jiang in the sauces aisles, and while you’re there, why not pick up a bag of fresh wheat noodles too.
