Why I’m Addicted to Japanese Kewpie’s Sesame Sauce (and You Will Be Too)
Maybe you fell into Kewpie mayonnaise heaven a while ago, or maybe it’s because of our infectious Kewpie addiction — yes folks, here at FavorFlav HQ we can’t stop talking about our fave mayo (although FavorFlav’s Sabina has a serious crush on Lidl’s lemon mayo). But did you know that Japanese Kewpie has plenty more delicious sauces in its range? Like the — DRIVE ME CRAZY — sesame sauce.
Kewpie has a long, rich history, and one of the first things I learned about it was that you pronounce it kyoo-pee. Right after that, I learned something much more important: make sure you always have a bottle of Kewpie mayonnaise in your pantry. Because, trust me: Kewpie is the best mayo in the world.
Kewpie I love you
You’ll pay around €5 for a tube, which may seem a little extravagant. But once you taste this mayonnaise, you won’t want anything else. Kewpie mayonnaise (with two n’s) is much more acidic than average mayo, making it perfect with rich Japanese dishes such as okonomiyaki and takoyaki. But also over your avocado, your egg, as the base for a tuna salad; you name it, I dip it. The reason I find Kewpie mayo so delicious may also be a secret ingredient: it contains MSG (also known as monosodium glutamate). This makes the mayo extra addictive and packed with umami.
MSG, help!
Are you thinking, ‘Ugh, MSG, that’s bad news!’? Then let me help you out of that bad dream. MSG occurs naturally in many different ingredients, such as tomatoes, walnuts, seaweed and green tea, as well as in soy sauce, yeast extract and miso. Even manufactured MSG is produced mainly through bacterial fermentation, not chemical synthesis. Tim Anderson, the ultimate expert on Japanese cuisine and author of the wonderful Vegan JapanEasy, recently pointed this out too: tcountless fellow experts have been unable to demonstrate in recent decades that MSG has short- or long-term effects on health, including the so-called ‘Chinese restaurant syndrome,’ a vague, racist and poorly defined group of symptoms such as headaches, a flushed face and sweating.
That said, my favorite Japanese Kewpie sesame sauce contains no MSG — so if you still want to avoid MSG despite the above, you can enjoy this dressing with peace of mind.
Toasted sesame seeds
And you’ll want to, because this sesame sauce — called Deep Roasted Sesame Dressing — is truly irresistible. In Japanese cuisine, sesame seeds are almost always toasted first, which gives them a delicious, deep, nutty flavor and a crunchy texture. Toasting them yourself is easy; I always do this with sesame seeds: put the seeds in a dry frying pan over medium heat and fry them, stirring, until golden brown and intensely fragrant.
Cloud-like and creamy
And thanks in part to those toasted sesame seeds, combined with soy sauce, tangy vinegar and brown sugar, this dressing is an absolute umami bomb. Add to that the fact that this salad dressing is cloud-like and creamy yet has plenty of body, and you’ll immediately get it: this is simply delicious over (almost) everything. A generous splash of this sweet-and-savory liquid gold gives so many dishes a serious boost, and the possibilities are endless. Delicious over salmon (from the oven or drizzled over your sashimi), irresistible over chicken (preferably not raw, although chicken sashimi does exist..), indispensable in a good poke bowl. Great as a salad dressing (especially if it contains avocado!), as a vegetable dip and as a marinade for all kinds of meat.
Easy to find
And the best thing about all this is that Kewpie’s sesame sauce is now widely available. Not only in XXL Albert Heijn stores in the Randstad, but even on the shelves of the Jumbo in my village. So now you know what to do on your next grocery adventure: pick up a bottle of Kewpie Deep Roasted Sesame Dressing! Thank me later!
