Pan-Chinese — deeply roasted sesame paste is found across China's cuisine from cold noodles to hot pot
Chinese sesame paste (zhi ma jiang) and Middle Eastern tahini are both roasted sesame pastes but are produced differently and taste distinctly different. Chinese sesame paste uses deeply roasted sesame seeds — producing a darker, more intense, bitter-sweet, nutty paste. Tahini uses lightly roasted or raw sesame — lighter in colour and more neutral. In Chinese cooking, they are not interchangeable.
Deeply nutty, bitter-sweet, roasted — far more intense than Middle Eastern tahini
{"Chinese sesame paste: deep roast at 180°C produces dark colour and complex bitterness","Tahini: light roast or raw — pale colour, mild, neutral sesame flavour","Chinese sesame paste is used in cold noodles, hot pot dipping sauce, dan dan mian, and sweet tang yuan","Always loosen Chinese sesame paste with sesame oil, not water — water causes it to become thick and grainy"}
{"Some Taiwanese recipes add peanut butter 50/50 with sesame paste for a richer result","Quality test: Chinese sesame paste should flow slowly from a spoon — if it clumps it has been poorly stored","Add a drop of Chinese black vinegar to sesame paste dressing to balance richness with acidity"}
{"Substituting tahini for Chinese sesame paste in dan dan mian — too mild, wrong flavour profile","Loosening with water — causes paste to 'break' and become lumpy","Storing without oil covering — surface oxidises and flavour becomes rancid"}
The Food of Sichuan — Fuchsia Dunlop