Goma-dare Recipe (Sesame Sauce for Shabu-shabu)

Goma-dare means "Sesame Seed Dipping Sauce".  It is the most popular sauce for Shabu-Shabu.

We love shabu-shabu so we go through a lot of Goma-dare.  It's too expensive to buy so often in Australia, and home-made has a richer sesame flavour, so I like to make it myself.

Having experimented with Goma-dare several times, sometimes just adding ingredients (tekitou), sometimes using various recipes, and here are my two best tasting versions:

Goma-dare Recipe #1 (Super Quick and Easy)

1 cup freshly toasted Sesame Seeds

1/3 cup Japanese Soy Sauce

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup vinegar

1/2 cup water (boiled and cooled)

1 tsp Aka-miso paste

2 tsp Dashi-no-moto (dashi powder)

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp salt

1. Place sesame seeds in food processor.  Process until ground seeds don't move any more.  Ensure that all the seeds are very well ground.
2. Add sesame oil, miso paste, dashi-no-moto, sugar and vinegar.  Blend until smooth.  Add all other ingredients, blend until smooth.
3. Pour into a clean glass jar.  Keeps for months if refrigerated.  Shake before use.

UPDATE 2013.10.25  I now blend in about 1/2 cup Japanese mayonnaise at the end of step 2.  It makes the goma dare creamy and more like the commercial brands.  Or, if I want to use it as goma dressing, I blend in about 1 cup mayonnaise.  

I don't use dashi-no-moto or miso paste anymore.  Instead, I add an extra 1 tsp salt.  (I'm trying to avoid MSG where possible)

And by the way, I don't even have time for cooking Goma Dare Recipe 2 (below).  Easy is good.

Goma-dare Recipe #2 (A little more involved)
1 cup freshly toasted Sesame Seeds
1/3 cup Japanese Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Mirin
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup vinegar
1/3 cup water
5g katsuo-bushi (Shaved dried bonito)
1 tsp Akamiso (Miso Paste, red miso if possible)
2 tsp Dashi-no-moto (dashi powder)
1 1/2 tsp salt

1. Place water, mirin and katsuo-bushi in a small saucepan and bring to the boil.  Simmer 5 min.  Strain out the katsuo-bushi and return to the saucepan.
2. Add soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, stirring occasionally as you bring it to the boil.  Dissolve akamiso into the liquid.  Simmer another 1 min.  Set aside to cool.
3. Place sesame seeds in food processor.  Process until ground seeds don't move any more.  Ensure that all the seeds are very well ground.
4. Pour soy sauce mixture from saucepan into the food processor.  Process until well combined.
5. Pour into a clean glass jar.  Keeps for months if refrigerated.  Home-made Goma-dare will separate when stored, so give it a good shake before using.

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