Muối Mè | Sesame Seed Topping
Dessert Toppings
When you think about a typical ice cream sundae, you often think about hot fudge sauce, roasted peanuts and a cherry on top.
Think of this sesame seed topping as a Viet version of roasted peanuts to your sundae. It’s a salty, sweet roasted sesame seed topping pounded with a mortar and pestle.
SPECIAL TIPS
Freshly roasted or store bought?
I prefer roasting my own sesame seeds to release the oils when I’m ready to eat. It’s a quick and easy step that makes your house fragrant while imparting more flavor. In a pinch, if you have roasted sesame seeds use those without additional fuss.
Methods of roasting
There are many methods to roast/toast your seeds. I typically use a little toaster oven. Roasting two tablespoons of sesame seeds is easy in a toaster oven.
I can usually get away with doing this while my little toaster is preheating. 1-2 minutes is usually enough and if I don’t keep an eye, they go from toasted to burnt in a flash.
I find it a bit wasteful to use a large oven. If I didn’t have a toaster oven, I’d use a small pan over medium heat and dry roast until golden brown.
Crushing Sesame Seeds
Mortar and pestle are great tools if you have them, but in a pinch using a food processor or blender works well.
If you don’t have those tools, grab a sandwich bag, wine bottle and roll the bottle to crush them just as easily.
HOW YOU SHOULD EAT THIS
Vietnamese desserts, such as sticky rice is often be served with coconut milk sauce (Nước Cốt Dừa) and topped with Muối Mè. It’s usually associated with peanuts.
If you have peanuts, feel free to use them. Sub half the sesame seed mixture for unsalted roasted peanuts. Our house is peanut-free due to food allergies so we omit.
Sprinkle sesame seed topping right before serving. It preserves the little bits of sugar and salt within the sesame seed mixture.
Most importantly, we do this to preserve the sesame seeds. If left on a high moisture dessert, the sesame seeds absorb the water and turn pasty. Not super appetizing.
FINAL THOUGHTS AND NOTES:
You can make this ahead of time. Store in an airtight container and place in a dry, room temperature area.
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Muối Mè | Sesame Seed Topping
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Add sesame seeds to the baking sheet and bake for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and use a mortar and pestle or a food processor and process until crumbly.
- Add salt and sugar to the crushed sesame seeds and mix.
- Serve warm immediately with your favorite recipe. Enjoy!
Notes:
**Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
