Natasha Pickowicz's Toasted Cumin and White Sesame Sauce
The pastry chef goes savory and shares a recipe from her new cookbook, "Everyone Hot Pot"
My mom’s white sesame sauce is the one I most closely associate with hot pot. I insist newcomers try it first, because I know they’ll fall in love right away.
The secret ingredient is fermented tofu (more on that on page 69 in Natasha’s book), which melts into the sauce, leaving behind a fruity whiff redolent of sour cherries, pineapple, and tangerines. Shacha sauce (or “Chinese barbecue sauce”), a thick, grainy paste made with everything from dried shrimp to crushed shallots, is another nonnegotiable flavor booster.
Though you could substitute tahini for the Asian sesame paste, the results won’t be quite as toasty tasting, as Chinese sesame paste uses ground roasted unhulled seeds. If the sesame paste has a layer of water on top, invert the jar overnight, or at least for 3 hours, to allow it to blend gradually.
—Natasha Pickowicz
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Ingredients
Makes 6 servings
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
½ cup (130 grams) Chinese white sesame paste
¼ cup (60 milliliters) shacha sauce
¼ cup (60 milliliters) rice vinegar
¼ cup (65 grams) fermented tofu chunks, in their sauce
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced ginger
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ cup (120 milliliters) filtered water
¼ cup (8 grams) chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish
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Method
Toast the cumin seeds in a small pan over low heat, about 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Combine the sesame paste, shacha sauce, rice vinegar, fermented tofu, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and soy sauce in a medium bowl and whisk together. The mixture will be very thick, similar to stiff peanut butter.
Gradually add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, while whisking, until the mixture lightens in color and has the consistency of a whipped milkshake. You may not need the full ½ cup (120 milliliters) of water.
Transfer the sauce to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
At the hot pot table, ladle ⅓ cup (80 milliliters) of the sauce into small soup bowls, refreshing throughout the night as needed. Top with a sprinkle of the toasted cumin seeds and chopped cilantro.
Pair it with: Napa cabbage, sliced leg of lamb, lotus root, or glass noodles
From Everyone Hot Pot by Natasha Pickowicz. Reprinted by permission of Artisan Books.
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