“Homemade Black Sesame Soup” © 2009 by Seth and Alexa Andrzejewski [flickr.com/sethandalexa]. License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/
The side effects of sugar are due not only to excess consumption of it but also to its refined form (i.e. white sugar, brown sugar). This is because refined sugar is removed from a whole food and stripped of nutrients. In contrast, unrefined sugar (Sucanat) is not stripped of nutrients. When it is used in moderation and in the context of a healthy diet, you can enjoy its sweetness without side effects. However, diabetics should always be vigilant of any sugar intake to effectively manage their blood glucose levels.
Below is a recipe for sweet and nourishing black sesame soup, replacing white sugar with unrefined sugar in a 1:1 exchange. This dessert is similar to congee (porridge) in that it also contains an equal portion of rice.
Bonus: you can benefit from both the healing effects of congee and black sesame.
Congee (porridge) is traditionally made using white rice. It builds qi and blood, benefits the mucous membranes, and strengthens digestion. These basic properties can be enhanced by the addition of other healing ingredients. Since congee is bland, it is a good base for infinite food modifications depending on your needs.
[If you choose to substitute white rice with another grain, the nutritive properties will vary. A good reference for differentiating grains is Healing with Whole Foods.]
Black sesame seeds (Chinese herb: ‘hei zhi ma’) are grown throughout China. They are used in Chinese medicine to treat numbness, dizziness or blurred vision due to blood deficiency. It also treats constipation due to blood or fluid deficiency (i.e. dryness of the intestines), and is commonly used to prevent premature graying of hair. Its medicinal properties are characterized as sweet (nourishing) and neutral (no effect on body temperature).
Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 cup grain of choice, soaked 8 hrs (or overnight).* It is traditionally made with white rice. But you can have fun experimenting with healthier grains like millet, barley, buckwheat, brown rice, amaranth.
- 1 cup black sesame seeds, soaked 8 hours (overnight)*
- 7 cups water
- 3/4 to 1 cup unrefined sugar (Sucanat), depending on the sweetness of your tooth. (I think 3/4 is plenty.)
- optional: add in walnuts, or other nuts
Preparation (based on this recipe):
- Drain rice, or chosen grain. Add to blender, and blend thoroughly with 3 cups water. Remove from blender and set aside.
- Drain sesame seeds. Toast in frying pan on low-medium heat, 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add seeds to blender with ~3/4 cups water, and blend thoroughly.
- Add rice mixture back into blender (along with optional walnuts) and mix thoroughly.
- Transfer mixture to a pot, combined with sugar and the rest of the water (~3 1/4 cups).
- Bring to a boil, then simmer on low until thickened (5-8 minutes). Stir frequently to prevent sediment from sticking to bottom of pot and burning. Add more boiling water to adjust thickness, if desired.
Enjoy it warm. It will nourish you. It is intended as a dessert, and we should remember that even unrefined sugar should be eaten in moderation. Note that if you are eating in moderation as you should, this recipe yields many, many small portions. So either reduce the ingredients proportionately, or share the recipe–as is–with plenty of friends and family, or freeze leftovers for sweet enjoyment over time.
Above is the basic recipe for black sesame soup. It does not include black sesame balls (Tang Yuan), as shown in the image above. There are different fillings for tang yuan, but I prefer black sesame. Here’s a recipe for tang yuan, with an option for eating it with ginger syrup(!).
* Notes:
Soaking grains, nuts and seeds is essential for nutrient absorption. The wise folks at the Westin A. Price Foundation wrote a great article about this necessity and the detriment of phytic acid in grains and seeds. Fallon and Enig wrote:
Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc in the intestinal tract and block their absorption. This is why a diet high in improperly prepared whole grains may lead to serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss.
The above is also included in their excellent book, Nourishing Traditions, where it goes on to explain that whole grains also contain enzyme inhibitors that can interfere with digestion. All of these “antinutrients” can be neutraliezed by soaking whole grains (as long as you discard the soak water).
Another good reference on soaking nuts and seeds is by Marie-Claire Hermans over at Ravishing Raw.
Carl is a former engineer who applies rational thought to the often subjective nature of traditional healing. He practices acupuncture in San Diego, CA.
Hi! Thanks for this recipe, I’m going to try it out today. One question though, when I toast the sesame seeds, do I need oil or anything?
Hi Amy. No oil or anything else added. It is a method called dry-frying, and it enhances the flavor of the seeds. Let me know how it turns out. Enjoy.
p.s. Be sure to shake the pan while frying (toasting) to prevent the seeds from burning.
Thanks for the tip Carl! The sesame soup turned out really good! My mom loved it so I know it wasn’t bad, lol. I think next time I will try to use less rice and see how that turns out.
Hello! (: Other than using white rice, have you tried it with other healthy grains? I’m thinking of making for my grandma and i would like to know which healthy grains goes well/better with the sesame.
Thank you!
I’ve only prepared it the traditional way, using white rice. Though I’ve had the intention of experimenting with other grains–such as, buckwheat, barley or millet–I haven’t yet got around to it. Depending on the strength of your grandmother’s digestive system, starting off with white rice may be best since it’s the most easily digestible.
To help you decide, should you wish to try other grains: both buckwheat and rice are characterized as sweet in flavor, while barley and millet are sweet and salty. Also–in terms of food therapy–buckwheat and rice are neutral in their effect on body temperature, while barley and millet exhibit a cooling effect.
What happens if I don’t add sugar because my naturopath says I have bacteria overgrowth in my intestines so she says I shouldn’t eat any sugar? But I know in TCM sugar has a purpose. I’m so confused.
Hi Holly,
Unfortunately, this recipe—without sugar—may be too bland to enjoy.
It’s great you’re being mindful of how food affects your health. I understand your confusion regarding sugar. Let’s see if we can clarify…
It’s true that sugar should be limited to prevent bacterial infections from thriving. More specifically, saccharides (not just sugar) should be limited. Sugar is a disaccharide made of glucose and fructose; starches like bread, pasta and pastries, are polysaccharides made of long chains of glucose molecules.
In setting your personal limit, it may be helpful to think in terms of the broader category of saccharides rather than just sugar. So, you can customize your diet to exclude enough sources of saccharides to allow you to tolerate… maybe… say… Black Sesame Soup.
Regarding TCM and sugar, it is again helpful to think beyond just sugar, to saccharides and general sweetness. It is sweetness that holds value in TCM; mainly, in two ways:
1. In cases of Spleen Qi deficiency due to undernourishment. In TCM, the Spleen includes pancreatic function; foods that contain saccharides will trigger an insulin response that will help draw glucose into the cells to produce energy and qi.
2. In the category of sweet herbs. Herbs categorized as sweet will not only, like food, benefit the pancreas but also tend to protect the stomach from the toxicity of harsh herbs when added to an herbal formula.