Black Sesame Seeds (Hei Zhi Ma) | (100g)

The story of Hei Zhi Ma

Sesame is one of the oldest oilseed crops known, cultivated for thousands of years across Asia and Africa. The plant, Sesamum indicum, grows tall stems lined with pale, bell-shaped flowers, and each flower leaves behind a slim pod packed with tiny seeds. When the pods ripen and split open, they scatter their seeds, which is said to be the origin of the famous phrase "open sesame".

Sesame seeds come in several colours. White and golden seeds are the most familiar in Western kitchens, but in China the black-seeded variety has a special place. Known as Hei Zhi Ma, literally "black sesame", it is the form recorded in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia and the one most closely tied to traditional food culture.

In traditional Chinese practice, black sesame is described as sweet and neutral in nature, and it belongs to the group of everyday foods valued for nourishment rather than as remedies. We share this as cultural heritage, not as a health claim.

Black sesame is everywhere in Chinese food. It fills tangyuan, the glutinous rice balls eaten at the Lantern Festival and the winter solstice. It is ground and cooked into zhi ma hu, a smooth black sesame soup served as a warming dessert or breakfast, and it is pressed into sweet sesame brittle and pastries. In recent years black sesame has also become a favourite flavour in British cafés and bakeries, from lattes to ice cream.

What's in your pack

Each bag contains whole, unhulled black sesame seeds and nothing else: no added salt, sugar, oil or preservatives. The seeds are left in their natural state, so you can toast, grind or soak them exactly as your recipe needs. One bag is enough for several batches of sesame soup, paste or porridge topping.

How our black sesame is sourced

Our black sesame is DaoDi-sourced. DaoDi is a traditional Chinese term for ingredients grown in the region long regarded as producing the finest quality of that particular plant, where soil, climate and generations of growing experience come together. Learn more about DaoDi herbs.

How to toast black sesame seeds

1. Rinse the seeds in a fine sieve and drain well, or use them straight from the bag if you prefer.
2. Tip them into a dry frying pan over a low to medium heat. Do not add oil.
3. Stir constantly for 3–5 minutes. The seeds are ready when they smell fragrant and start to pop.
4. Spread on a plate to cool completely before grinding or storing.

Making black sesame paste

Grind toasted, cooled seeds in a spice grinder or high-speed blender. Keep going past the powder stage and the natural oils will turn it into a thick paste. A small spoonful of honey or a pinch of salt can be added to taste. Keep homemade paste in a sealed jar in the fridge and use it within a week.

Loose seeds or concentrated granules?

Ideas to try with our black sesame

• Black sesame soup (Zhi Ma Hu): blend ground seeds with water and a little rice, then simmer until smooth.
• Breakfast porridge: stir a spoonful of ground seeds into oats with dried jujube dates and goji berries.
• Black and white rice: cook with black soybeans for a traditional "black foods" dish.
• Bakes: fold whole seeds into bread dough, cookies or crackers.

Cooking ideas

Whole seeds add crunch and colour scattered over noodles, stir-fried greens, tofu and rice bowls. Ground seeds can be whisked into dressings, stirred into smoothies or swirled through yoghurt, and black sesame paste makes a striking filling for buns, mochi and swiss rolls. For desserts, try black sesame in panna cotta, ice cream or a simple sesame brittle with honey.

Storing your pack

Sesame seeds are rich in natural oils, so they keep best away from heat and light. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark cupboard, or in the fridge in warm weather, and use by the best-before date on the pack. Toasted or ground seeds should be used within a couple of weeks.

Sources: Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China (2020), Volume I, Hei Zhi Ma (Sesami Semen Nigrum), p. 359 · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Plants of the World Online: Sesamum indicum.