Kuki, Classic Roast Sesame Oil, 1.65kg
Kuki's Star Mark pure sesame oil, moderately roasted and pressed, in a 1.65kg bottle: the light-roast sesame oil Japanese kitchens cook and fry with.
The label reads 星印 純正胡麻油 淡口: Star Mark pure sesame oil, light (usukuchi). Kuki Sangyo roasts selected sesame seeds to a moderate level and extracts the oil by pressing (圧搾法), not solvents, for a golden oil with a full but gentle sesame aroma. It is lighter in colour and flavour than a dark roasted sesame oil, which means you can cook with it in quantity, not just finish with a few drops. This is the 1.65kg professional bottle.
Why Chefs Choose This
- Cook with it, not just finish: a moderate roast gives enough sesame flavour to taste, without overwhelming a dish
- Pressed oil: extracted by pressing rather than solvents, the traditional way
- A 140-year maker: Kuki has made sesame oil in Yokkaichi, Mie, since 1886
- Kitchen format: a 1.65kg bottle with a handle grip, sized for professional use
How to Use
- Stir-frying: as the cooking oil for stir-fries, fried rice and yaki udon
- Frying: on its own or blended with a neutral oil for tempura and karaage with a sesame aroma
- Dressings: Chinese-style and sesame dressings, namul and salads
- Sauces and soups: a spoonful into dipping sauces, ramen tare or a finished soup
Sesame oil (goma abura, ごま油) has been pressed in Japan for centuries, and in the Edo period it became the frying oil of choice for Tokyo's tempura stalls, a style still used by many Edomae tempura shops. Kuki Sangyo (九鬼産業) traces its sesame oil business to 1886, when Kuki Monshichi, the eighth of his line, began pressing oil in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, using machinery brought from Britain. The company is still run from Yokkaichi, and the star (星印) on this bottle is the mark it has used on its sesame oil since those early years. Usukuchi (淡口) means light: moderately roasted, as opposed to the darker, stronger koikuchi.
What does light roast sesame oil taste like?
Nutty, warm and clearly sesame, but softer than the dark roasted oils most people know. It pours golden rather than deep brown, and the toasted note is round rather than bitter. In a stir-fry or a batch of tempura it gives food a gentle sesame fragrance without tasting heavy or burnt. Compared with dark sesame oil you use more of it; compared with an untoasted, clear sesame oil it has much more aroma.
Product Details
| Type | Pure sesame oil, light roast (純正胡麻油 淡口, usukuchi) |
| Brand and Maker | Star Mark (星印), Kuki Sangyo Co., Ltd. (九鬼産業), founded 1886 |
| Roast | Moderate (ほどよく煎り) |
| Extraction | Pressed (圧搾法) |
| Origin | Japan. Kuki Sangyo is based in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture |
| Weight and Format | 1.65kg plastic bottle |
| Storage | Cool, dark place at room temperature, away from direct sunlight |
| Best Used As | Stir-frying, frying, dressings and sauces |
What is the difference between light and dark sesame oil?
Roast level. Dark (koikuchi) sesame oil is made from strongly roasted seeds and has a deep colour and powerful flavour, best used a few drops at a time. Light (usukuchi) oil, like this one, is roasted moderately, so it is paler and gentler and can be used as a cooking and frying oil in its own right.
Can I deep-fry with it?
Yes. Kuki recommends it for frying as well as stir-frying. Many tempura cooks fry in sesame oil or a blend of sesame and a neutral oil for its fragrance and the crisp, light batter it gives. Blending also brings the cost per fry down.
How should I store it?
Keep it capped in a cool, dark place at room temperature, away from the stove and direct sunlight, which speed up oxidation. It does not need refrigerating. Kuki gives around 18 months unopened; once opened, use it within a few months for the best aroma.
Ingredients and allergens
Ingredients: Sesame oil (100%).
Allergen information is taken from the manufacturer's label; always check the pack before use.
SKU : S0872