Recently, I shared a blog post about the Japanese mortar and pestle called suribachi and surikogi. It’s such a beautiful and well-designed kitchen tool. I’ll be honest when I say that it would be a good idea to have one of these in your kitchen arsenal. The suribachi and surikogi serve as a vital tool in making today’s Japanese inspired recipe, which is a Sesame Honey Miso Dip! 

This dip right here...is amazing! The flavors are deep, savory, and richly satisfying to the palette. When you serve this dip at a small socially distanced gathering, I promise your guests will be delighted. Prepare yourself because you’ll want to make multiple batches!

The inspiration for this dip came from lunch dates on Okinawan beaches with my dearest love birnettiah. I would pick us up a quick bite to eat from the conbini called Lawson and one of my favorite things to get is a little pack of vegetable sticks and dip. The cucumber, carrots, and daikon radish sticks are refreshing on hot, humid days and the flavors of the dip are fantastic. It’s creamy from the Kewpie Mayo and full of savory umami flavor with a little kick. So I decided to make my own version at home and I added a few ingredients that felt would take this dip to another level. An example is freshly ground toasted sesame seeds.  

What makes this Sesame Honey Miso dip so flavorful are the sesame seeds that are ground immediately after toasting with the suribachi and surikogi. The heat opens the sesame seeds and releases their aromatic oils which in turn, produces a deep, earthy flavor that provides depth to the dip. When they are ground immediately from the hot pan, more oils are released and it becomes slightly easier to grind them as well. Don’t worry if you don’t have a suribachi and surikogi. Any type of mortar and pestle will grind the sesame seeds. It may take a little bit longer but it will still work. Either way, it takes some elbow grease to get the sesame seeds ground fully but the bonus is that it will be a wonderful addition to your current workout routine for the day haha! 

The next steps are a breeze because you are simply adding almost all of the remaining ingredients and mixing them together thoroughly with the suribachi and surikogi. The star ingredients alongside the sesame seeds are miso paste, which provides an umami (savory) flavor and honey that adds a touch of sweetness. Kewpie mayo is a Japanese mayonnaise that makes the dip creamy and also adds another layer of umami flavor. 

You may have noticed that there isn’t any additional salt added to this dip, correct? Well, the reason for this is because fermented ingredients like soy sauce and miso paste provide the appropriate amount of salt and umami flavor to make this dip taste balanced and well seasoned. Freshly cracked black pepper and a few pinches of cayenne pepper provide a small kick of heat, while fresh lemon juice serves to brighten the flavors. Don’t forget to wash your hands after adding the cayenne pepper because you don’t want to receive an accidental stinging surprise in your eyes or mouth ;)

Once you have thoroughly mixed all of these ingredients, you will add the last ingredient which is chopped green onion tops. This is added in at the last moment to prevent the green onions from breaking down completely while mixing. You’ll only mix them in for about 30 seconds. As they hit the ridges of the suribachi bowl, they will release their oniony essence into the dip and stay intact.

Even though it is a bit of an arm workout, this dip can be made very quickly in about 10-15 mins. You can serve it immediately or allow the flavors to bloom even more by placing it in the refrigerator for later use. When you pair this dip with fresh seasoned crudités like slices of Japanese cucumbers, daikon radishes, and whole cherry tomatoes, I promise that it will be a magical bite indeed!

That’s it for today’s #ACAinJapan recipe! When you decide to make this delicious Sesame Honey Miso Dip, please share on social media with the hashtag #ACAinJapan and tag me @acertainaesthetic. Take care of yourself, love each other, and eat well!

-Shari :)

Sesame Honey Miso Dip

Makes ½ cup

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp sesame seeds

• ¼ cup Kewpie Mayo

• 1 tsp soy sauce

• ½ tsp honey

• 2 tsp miso paste

• 2 small pinches of cayenne pepper

• ⅛ tsp fresh cracked black pepper (finely ground)

• 1 tbsp green onion tops, chopped

• ½ tsp fresh lemon juice

Special Equipment

• Medium-sized (6-8in) Suribachi and Surikogi (mortar and pestle) set 

Directions

1. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry medium-sized frying pan on medium-high heat for about 3 mins or until the seeds begin to pop and smoke slightly. Shake and stir the pan occasionally

2. Place the hot toasted sesame seeds directly into the suribachi grinding bowl and grind them in a firm circular motion with the wooden surikogi for about 2 minutes or until the sesame seeds are fully broken down. Occasionally lift the suribachi in one hand, tilt slightly and tap firmly 2-3 times with the surikogi in center of the bowl. This will release the sesame seeds from the bowl’s ridges so you can continue to grind efficiently. 

3. The ground sesame seeds should cling to the ridges inside of the suribachi and resemble a dry, flakey paste or damp crumbly flour.

4. Add all of the remaining ingredients to the suribachi bowl except for the chopped green onions. 

5. Mix thoroughly with the surikogi in a circular motion for about 1 minute to ensure all of the ingredients are incorporated thoroughly. Occasionally take the surikogi and sweep down the suribachi bowl vertically along the direction of the ridges to release and mix in the ground sesame seeds. 

6. Now add the chopped green onions and mix for 30 seconds. Your goal is to impart flavor from the green onions so you don’t want to break them down fully. Use the same motion as above in step 5 to mix thoroughly. 

7. Serve with your favorite crudités like sliced cucumbers, carrots, daikon radish, and more! You can also make this ahead and refrigerate it for future use. 

8. Enjoy! :)

Notes

• Kewpie Mayo is a Japanese Mayonnaise full of rich, umami flavor! It is available in most global markets like Asian markets and specialty food stores. It may possibly be available in the international aisle of major supermarkets as well. 

• If you do not have access to Kewpie Mayo, then you can substitute with the American style mayonnaise brand Hellman’s/Best Foods. Also, you must add in an extra tsp of miso paste to increase the umami flavor profile that will be missing from the Hellman’s/Best Foods mayo. 

• If you don’t have access to a suribachi and surikogi, pretty much any other style of mortar and pestle will work just fine. You may have to grind the sesame seeds a little bit longer to ensure they are ground finely.

• If you don’t have access to sesame seeds, then you can use tahini. 

• ***This is important! If you substitute the kewpie mayo and freshly toasted sesame seeds for Hellman’s/Best Foods mayo and tahini, the recipe will taste different. It will still be delicious but it will not have the same deep flavor profile as the original recipe.