Black Sesame Soup
黑芝麻糊
English: Black Sesame Soup
Chinese: 黑芝麻糊
Pinyin: hei zhima hu
Literal: Black sesame paste
Black sesame has been an important ingredient in Traditional Chinese Medicine for centuries. It is considered to be a ‘warming’ (温) ingredient, beneficial for kidney health, hair growth and longevity - and who doesn’t want all of those? You’ll find all kinds of dishes enhanced with the black seeds, from brittle to porridge to shaobing buns or, in the case of this recipe, soups.
Those familiar with Chinese cuisine might know the Cantonese and Hong Kong version of this soup. Cantonese food has a number of sweet soups (‘tong sui’ or 糖水). The sweet black sesame soup is one of the more famous examples, using glutinous rice to give it a silky mouthfeel.
It might be assumed then, that this recipe is a copycat of the Cantonese classic, just with millet instead of rice. However, the North has a long history of making thick porridges and pastes (such as Mian Cha). Adding black sesame paste to a thick millet porridge feels more like adding an ingredient to an already existing Northern dish, rather than trying to replicate the South.
The taste and texture of both is quite similar, silky smooth, thick without being gloopy. It’s a lovely warming breakfast - simple perhaps, but comforting alongside a few tea eggs and perhaps a baozi or two.
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
100g black sesame seeds
200g millet (小米) - soaked for 2 hours or overnight
700ml water
Salt, a pinch
30g sugar
1 teaspoon honey + drizzle
40g chopped walnuts - garnish
1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
Method
Heat a dry pan over a low heat. Add the black sesame seeds and toast for 2-3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally to avoid burning the seeds. Let them cool slightly, then grind into a coarse powder using a mortar & pestle, spice grinder, or blender.
Drain the soaked millet, add to a blender and blend the millet with the sesame seeds until smooth. Pour in the water 100ml at a time until you have a grey soup with the millet and seeds fully blended.
Strain the liquid. Use a fine sieve or cheesecloth and strain out the solids, using a spoon to push as much liquid through as possible. Discard the leftover solids. (Note, if you have a high-powered blender, you might not need this step).
Add the liquid to a saucepan and heat over a low heat. Stir with a whisk constantly at this point, otherwise the soup will be lumpy. If lumps do form, just whisk them vigorously, they should whisk out. After about 5 minutes, the soup will start to thicken and turn glossy. At this point add the salt and sugar.
Continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes. You need to cook the millet until the bitter rawness has cooked out and the flavours have mellowed. Turn off the heat, add the honey, stir and taste. Adjust the seasoning, adding a bit more salt or sugar or honey if you need.
Ladle into bowls, sprinkle over the chopped walnuts, white sesame seeds and then drizzle with a honey.
Alternative Method
If you have a soy milk maker, then you can make this soup quickly and with far fewer steps as below.
Combine the black sesame seeds, millet, and water to your blender or a soy milk maker.
Select the "millet paste" or "smoothie" function and let the machine run for about 25 minutes. If your blender isn't a heating model, you'll need to pour the blended mixture into a pot and cook it over medium heat until it thickens.
Once the blending cycle is complete, add the sugar, salt and honey and give it a quick pulse or stir until it's fully dissolved.
Ladle into bowls, sprinkle over the chopped walnuts, white sesame seeds and then drizzle with a honey.
