Sesame works triple duty in this cabbage salad with tahini and miso

When I need a jar of tahini, I will go out of my way to get my preferred brand, Seed + Mill. I am also magnetically drawn to the company’s kiosk at Chelsea Market in New York. Whenever I am in the neighborhood, I can’t resist stopping in for their tahini soft-serve topped with halvah crumbles.

Given all this, I had high expectations for the cookbook Sesame, written by Seed + Mill’s co-founder Rachel Simons, but the book managed to exceed them. I had assumed the recipes in the book would be mostly Middle Eastern, but once I cracked it open I was delighted to find an exploration of sesame’s use around the globe, in both modern and traditional ways, driving home the incredible versatility of the nutritious seed.

This Japanese-inspired salad is a sesame triple threat, featuring sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds, and tahini. The vastly different flavors and textures each brings to the recipe proves how remarkable this little seed is.

Sesame oil acts as the rich, nutty base of a simple dressing — made with soy sauce, ginger, and a touch of brown sugar — which is tossed with a heap of crisp, shredded Napa cabbage and sliced scallions. Toasted sesame seeds and sliced almonds are added in as well, mingling between the shredded leaves for a lovely crunch in every bite. That salad is piled onto a spread of creamy, savory sauce made with tahini, miso paste, soy sauce, lime juice, and water.

The resulting salad tastes as magnificent as it looks, at once both rich and light, with deep, nutty sesame flavor emerging at every angle. It makes a stunning statement served with just about any roasted or grilled protein, but it wouldn’t be unreasonable in a larger portion as a meal in and of itself, something I could not resist doing when I made it.

Shredded Napa cabbage with scallions, almonds, and sesame seeds on a tahini-miso sauce makes for an elegant salad that’s crunchy, creamy, and flavorful. Adapted from the tahini purveyor Seed + Mill co-founder Rachel Simons’s cookbook Sesame: Global Recipes and Stories of an Ancient Seed, the salad features this versatile ingredient in three ways: sesame oil, tahini, and toasted sesame seeds.

Storage: The salad is best eaten immediately, but leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Total time: 20 minutes

Servings: 6 (makes about 9 cups)

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, divided

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon light brown sugar

1/2 cup well-stirred tahini

1/4 cup ice water, plus more as needed

1 1/2 tablespoons shiro (white) miso

4 teaspoons fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)

One (2-pound) head napa cabbage, halved lengthwise, cored and leaves finely shredded (about 9 cups)

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon toasted sliced almonds, divided

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, divided

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, the ginger, and sugar, until the sugar dissolves.

In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, ice water, miso, lime juice, and the remaining 1 tablespoon of soy sauce until the mixture is thick and creamy. Add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed, until you have a spreadable sauce.

Add the cabbage, scallions, 1/4 cup of the almonds, and 3 tablespoons of the sesame seeds to the bowl with the vinaigrette and toss to coat.

Dollop the tahini-miso sauce onto a large serving platter and use the back of a spoon to spread it out toward the edges, leaving a well in the center. Place the salad in a pile on top of the well and over some of the sauce, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of almonds and 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds, and serve immediately.

Substitutions: Napa cabbage >> regular green cabbage. Almonds >> chopped pistachios, peanuts or cashews. Brown sugar >> maple syrup, honey or agave.

Gluten-free? Use gluten-free tamari in place of soy sauce and gluten-free miso. Nut-free? Use pumpkin or sunflower seeds.

Nutritional Facts per serving (1 1/2 cups salad and about 2 1/2 tablespoons of tahini) | Calories: 270; Fat: 21 g; Saturated Fat: 3 g; Carbohydrates: 14 g; Sodium: 267 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Protein: 10 g; Fiber: 6 g; Sugar: 9 g

This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.

Adapted from “Sesame: Global Recipes and Stories of an Ancient Seed” by Rachel Simons (Ten Speed Press, 2025).