Miso Sesame Sauce (That Works on Every Vegetable)

Miso Sesame Sauce (That Works on Every Vegetable)

In the video, I serve this sauce on green beans, but it’s fabulous on any raw or blanched vegetables.

Any green beans will work for this recipe, but your timing will depend on the type of beans. In the video I am using very slender ones sold as “haricot verts” in the US. Of course, in French “haricot verts” simply means “green beans,” but in the US that term is usually used for thin green beans.

I often get questions about typos in the recipe when people see that 2 Tbsp of miso is 30g and 2 Tbsp of sesame seeds is 16g. That’s not a typo. Different ingredients have different density. 1 Tbsp of rocks and 1 Tbsp of feathers don’t weigh the same.

Serves 4
1 Lb (450g) trimmed green beans
2 Tbsp (30g) white miso
2 Tbsp (16g) toasted sesame seeds
1 Tbsp (15g) lemon juice
3 Tbsp (42g) neutral oil, like canola, grapeseed, etc

Bring a pot of water almost to a boil. Add some salt and get the water to a rolling boil. Dump in the green beans. If they want to poke out of the water, tuck them in and cover the pot. Set the timer for 2 minutes. After the first minute you should get your boil back. As soon as that happens, take off the lid so that the water doesn’t boil over.

To test if your beans are done, fish one out, dunk into cold water for 2 seconds and take a bite. Try to do this tasting very quickly, so that the rest of them don’t over cook. I like them very crunchy, so 2 minutes is plenty for me, but of course all green beans are different. Immediately drain them and rinse in cold water for a couple of minutes until they are completely cold.

Dump the green beans onto a towel and dry very well, then move to a large bowl.

Puree the miso, sesame seeds, lemon juice, and oil with a machine of your choice. The amounts I give will work with an immersion blender, but for the regular blender or food processor you might need to double the recipe. The leftover sauce can be refrigerated for a week and is great on many vegetables.

Coat the green beans with the sauce. Taste and adjust for salt and acidity.
You can also serve the sauce as a dip instead of coating the vegetables in it.

Support my channel

My Online Cooking Classes:

[helenrennie]

Many of you asked about replacing sesame seeds with tahini (so that you don't need a blender). Yes, that works!

[azerial]

OMG! I just made this and it was Amazing!! I felt like i jumped into another dimension of flavor!! I did mine with roasted broccoli and used a roasted garlic tahini, but otherwise, WOW. Thank you so much for posting these amazing cooking videos and recipes! I have learned so much from you! <3

[rachs]

dear Helen, I had an expensive package of white miso in back or fridge (it's still good) and a huge bag of organic sesame seeds...then I found this AMAZING recipe of yours. It is totally addictive, like its satisfying something I didnt know I was craving...it is that umami or maybe the saltiness? I dont know but anyone reading this, you have to try this, it is beyond delicious! Thank you Helen!

[ericcc]

It's interesting that coming from an Asian food background, the ubiquity of browning/searing everything in western cooking seemed a bit overkill at first, but it makes sense given that a lot of Asian food tends to use very savory and slightly sweet sauces as an equivalence for at least the flavor of browning. I think lots of other western dishes could be adapted with such sauces to simplify execution, especially braised dishes where skipping a sear won't affect the texture that much. In fact, it's not common at all to brown meat for braises in most Asian cuisine.

[Rouverius]

Yes! We're in Japan. And it's one of our favorite dishes in our house during summer. The sauce is great with spinach as well. Thanks for sharing this!

[lc]

Hello Helen,
thanks for your clarity of description. I know lots about cooking but you explain the mechanics and finer details in a plain and simple manner. You should be required viewing for students and masters alike. Much gratitude X

[chasecomfort]

I was just looking to expand my range of veggie banchan items and this looks perfect, thanks!

[janedoe]

Wonderful another “Healthy” Recipe to add to my picky Grandkids snack repertoire. Thank You ☺️

[RominaJones]

This is a standby for me. I use tahini instead of raw sesame seeds but it is more or less the same. I usually make a large enough batch to refrigerate and as you say it goes with everything. It is really great with pasta noodles too! One thing I find that adds to the taste is a teaspoon (or to taste - the idea is just a little bit) of one other nut or nut butter like say almond or peanut. It just adds a little bit more complexity to the flavor and garlic can also be a nice addition.

[tosca...]

I haven't made exactly this, but there is no doubt that miso is a super ingredient. I use it in salad dressings and in soups, especially if my soup is a quick pandemic special with some tofu, edamame or beans and something green. I have asparagus, green beans and some purple broccolini sitting on my benchtop which will meet this dressing in about an hour. I have a feeling they'll become excellent long term friends. Thanks Helen, I love your non precious, but always informative approach to eating and preparing food. The secret is in the detail - follow Helen's instructions to the letter and you have a new technique under your apron belt :)

[rinjinnoko]

Helen, I may be new here but I think you're amazing! Your tutorials are easy to follow and I love your presentation. You definitely deserve a lot more spotlight. I hope your channel keeps growing tremendously.

[LythaStudios]

This recipe looks awesome! I was raised on canned vegetables, and I'm still learning how to cook fresh vegetables. I really appreciate this easy weeknight recipe!

[iamgort]

Tried these a week ago, Absolutely wonderful. This is now my standard go to process for beans, asparagus ect. My wife raved about it when I prepared these for her, she couldn't stop talking about them. In fact I am making these again right now for tonight's dinner, June 11th, 2021. 👍🇦🇺

[elizabethslack]

Miso on vegetables is an intriguing concept. YUM!

[carmyha]

Hey! French person here, about your bit in the description. In French, whenever we say "haricots verts", it means these thin green beens too !
I'm trying this recipe for lunch, with edamame and haricots verts :)

[MH-vnio]

you have the most soothing voice and narration cadence

[charles]

I love Miso and this is great option for maximizing the probiotics health benefits of raw miso, no heat, no sugar all good 👍

[hyperbovian]

Blanched and stir fried, finished with sesame oil is always nice. I've made mayonnaise with miso in place of egg and peanut oil and that works great too

[bobjolly]

Well ill be buying some miso today...I absolutely love your delicious recipes and especially how clear you are about your instructions and reasons for such instructions ....thanks so much

[RJ-trvt]

Amazing to the point video 💫
And an amazing new hairstyle🌟