As the seasons change, many people are seeking to recharge their home cooking with new flavors while maintaining healthy habits. JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles is continuing its popular Japanese Food Lab program online with a new series by Los Angeles-based chef Kuniko Yagi introducing easy, adaptable ways to bring a Japanese twist to a typical meal: dressings and sauces! Chef Yagi will share recipes for several dressings, sauces, and vinaigrettes beloved in Japan, along with suggestions on salads, proteins, and other dishes as ideal pairings. This three-part Dress Up Your Dinner video series is suitable for cooks of any experience level, and can be viewed at any time.
Sesame Based Dressings & Sauces
Rich and creamy with a nutty flavor, sesame is a cornerstone in Japanese cuisine and is often deployed in dressings, sauces, and as a topping. Thick and rich dipping sauces goma-dare and goma-shabu-tare bring a rich finishing touch to beloved dishes like onyasai (steamed vegetable salad) and shabu shabu. Combining the sesame base with Japanese flavors such as rice vinegar (which makes goma-su) or dashi and soy sauce (which makes goma-tsuyu) bring piquant and savory notes to the sesame base, expanding its versatility.
Japanese Food Lab series is filmed at JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles, Level 5.
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Goma-dare (Sesame Dipping Sauce)
& Goma-su (Sesame Vinaigrette)
Goma-dare (Sesame Dipping Sauce) Ingredients & Recipe
Yield: 2 cups
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup white sesame paste (tahini)
1 cup soy sauce
Whisk the ingredients together.
Store refrigerated for up to 1 month.
Goma-su (Sesame Vinaigrette) Ingredients & Recipe
Yield: ¼ cup
¼ cup Goma-dare (Sesame Dipping Sauce)
1.5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
Whisk the ingredients together well in a bowl.
Store refrigerated for up to 1 month.
Goma-tsuyu (Sesame Dashi Dipping Sauce)
Ingredients & Recipe
Yield: 1¼ cups
¼ cup Seasoned Dashi (recipe below)
½ cup Goma-dare (Sesame Dipping Sauce)
Whisk the ingredients together well in a bowl.
Store refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Seasoned Dashi
Yield: 1¼ cups
1 cup water
2 tablespoons usukuchi (light colored) soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin (sweet Japanese cooking wine)
1.5-inch square piece kombu seaweed
Handful of bonito flakes
Combine all the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and cool down to room temperature. When cool, strain and discard solids.
Store refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Goma-shabu-tare (Sesame Ginger Dipping Sauce)
Ingredients & Recipe
Yield: ¾ cup
2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
½ cup goma-dare (Sesame Dipping Sauce)
2 tablespoons Seasoned Dashi
Pinch of togarashi (Japanese dried chili condiment)
Whisk the ingredients together well in a bowl.
Store refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Chef Profile
Kuniko Yagi
Born in Gunma, Japan and an active chef in the US for over 15 years, Chef Kuniko Yagi began her career as a line cook at a fine dining French restaurant where she was quickly promoted through the ranks to Chef du Cuisine and received a Rising Star Chef award.
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Following an appointment as Executive Chef at a popular French brasserie in Los Angeles, Chef Yagi was a contestant and audience favorite on Season 10 of the cooking competition TV show Top Chef. As a founding Executive Chef of the popular Hinoki & The Bird, she merged Californian and Japanese cuisines to high acclaim. Throughout her tenure as chef she has interned in a number of notable kitchens around the world including Tapas Molecular Bar (Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Tokyo), Kinobu (Kaiseki restaurant, Kyoto), Shin (Sushi restaurant, Tokyo), Ryugin (Japanese restaurant, Tokyo), Yachiyo (Japanese restaurant, Tokyo), Pierre Gagnaire Rue Balsac (French restaurant, Paris), Daniel (French restaurant, New York). Currently, Chef Yagi is the owner / operator of Japanese-inspired fried chicken restaurant Pikuniko and consults in the areas of restaurant concept development, recipe development, and catering.
