Japanese Broccoli Gomaae

Why You Will Love This Recipe

You will love this easy Japanese broccoli salad because:

• It takes less than 15 minutes to cook.
• Japanese broccoli gomaae is an easy vegetable side dish ideal for summertime because you can serve it a room temperature.
• This delicious healthy side dish has a simple sesame seed dressing.
• It is budget-friendly. 
• There are many different versions of this recipe some will include rice vinegar and mirin. However, this recipe uses only four ingredients.
• This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan.

What is Gomaae

In Japanese, the term gomaae refers to a dish dressed in sesame sauce.

Ingredients

Please note that below is a guide for some of the ingredients we used in the recipe. The printable recipe further down the page has the complete list of ingredients, including quantities and step-by-step instructions.

• Broccoli
• Sesame seeds
• Japanese soya sauce or use tamari to make it vegan and gluten free.
• White granulated sugar, or beet sugar

Instructions

Step 1 - Toast the sesame seeds.

First, you will need to roast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan over medium heat, stirring them constantly as they cook.

After a minute or two, they will start to change color, turn the heat to low, and continue to cook until they become lightly golden.

Remove the roasted sesame seeds from the heat and transfer them to a plate to cool. Don't leave them sitting in the hot pan because they will continue to cook from the residual heat and can burn. 

Step 2 - Once the seeds have cooled to room temperature, crush them into a crumbly paste with a mortar and pestle, or blender or place them into a thick plastic zip lock bag and crush them with a rolling pin.

Step 3 - Cut broccoli into bite-sized pieces, don't discard the stem, peel the outer flesh from the stem and discard the peel. Cut the inner stem into pieces, about the same size as the broccoli florets.

Step 4 - Steam the broccoli for about 2-4 minutes (time starts after the water has come to a boil) so that it is tender but still firm. 

Transfer to a plate lined with absorbent paper, arrange in a single layer, and cool to room temperature.

Step 5 - In a large mixing bowl, place the sesame seeds, sugar, and soya sauce and mix well. 

Step 6 - Add the room temperature broccoli and mix well, to evenly coat it in the sesame sauce. Transfer to individual serving bowls and enjoy.

Serving Size

This recipe serves 4.

Calories Per Serve

Each serving of this Japanese broccoli in sesame sauce has about 73 calories.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this as part of a simple Japanese dinner in a small bowl, along with other vegetables like stir-fried kailan, and with steamed rice, miso soup, and a protein dish, either plant or animal, like our sesame ginger tofu or Japanese-style gluten-free chicken meatballs.

Or simply enjoy the broccoli gomaae as a healthy snack.

Variations

Replace the broccoli in this gomaae recipe with other vegetables like:

• green beans
• asparagus
• Brussel sprouts,
• sugar snap peas
• spinach
• broccolini

Storage

Refrigerator: Store in a sealed container in the fridge.

Meal Prepping

Because this dish can be served at room temperature, you can cook up a batch of broccoli for several days, and store it in the fridge without the seeds.

When needed, allow the broccoli to come to room temperature, or microwave it for a few seconds to take the chill out, then toss in sesame seed dressing.

More Easy Recipes

• Scrambled silken tofu
• Miso hummus
• Gyoza dipping sauce
• Silken tofu sour cream