いんげんの黒ごま和え
Green beans with black sesame (いんげんの黒ごま和え) belongs to a category of traditional Japanese dishes known as aemono (和え物).
The category is commonly mistranslated as Japanese salad. The character (和) that imparts its meaning to the word, however, is the same character that when pronounced wa means harmony. So a more direct and accurate (in my opinion) translation would be harmonized things, mono (物) meaning thing or things.
The role of the cook, or tenzo, when preparing this dish is to bring attention to the work at hand: first understanding the inherent flavors and textures of each ingredient, and then working mindfully to preserve these qualities by doing only what is necessary. The color and snap of the green beans are but one example.
The final point of attention is bringing everything together, harmonizing the individual components into one balanced whole. Cooking as practice. A meditation on the concept of engi (縁起, dependent origination) — the understanding that all phenomena arise through interdependent causes and conditions. Just like this dish.
In a practical sense it is a study in economy on multiple levels. Using a total of just five ingredients, the main one being in season and plentiful, the dish is affordable even for the strictest budget. The other savings are in the time and effort it takes to make the dish: from start to finish it can be completed in under 20 minutes.
GREEN BEANS GOMA-AE
INGREDIENTS:
Green Beans
Black Sesame Sauce
Garnish
INSTRUCTIONS:
- PREPARING THE BEANS. Trim off the fibrous stem end of the beans with a knife. Cut them into roughly equal lengths. About 1.5″ long.
- BLANCHING THE BEANS. Bring the water to a boil. Once the water is boiling add the salt. The water should taste almost like the ocean. The salinity of the water in this recipe is 3%. The ocean is approximately 3.5%. This level of salinity will ensure that the beans are properly seasoned despite the short cooking time.
- TOASTING THE SESAME SEEDS. Place a small pan over medium-low heat. Add the sesame seeds and cook them, shaking the pan or stirring them from time to time. When the seeds are fragrant remove the pan from the heat.
- MAKING THE SAUCE. Transfer the warm sesame seeds to a mortar and pestle and add the soy sauce, mirin, and molasses. Grind the mixture until the texture is coarse like potting soil. The image for the finished dish is beans on the vine emerging from the soil. Nature is the inspiration.
- SERVING. Combine the beans and half of the sauce in a mixing bowl, and gently fold them together with your hands. Taste as you go. If the flavor is too light, add more of the sauce. When the flavors are balanced, divide the dressed beans equally into four shallow serving bowls, piling them in the center. Clip a few fresh sprouts or tendrils and scatter them over the top of each pile and serve.
Note
STORAGE. If there are any leftovers you can refrigerate them and eat them the next day. The color and the flavor both hold up well for 24 hours or so. The dish is best when eaten at room temperature, so remember to take them out 60-90 minutes before eating to allow the beans to come to temperature.
SUBSTITUTIONS. This sauce works well with all sorts of vegetables. Don’t be afraid to experiment. My fallback when beans are out of season is some variety of hearty leafy greens like spinach or Swiss chard.
