Patty's Kitchen #3
Recipes & Remedies
Last month the attributes of Gomashio, or sesame salt, were discussed. A simple way of preparing this is to use the ratio you want of salt to seeds depending on your condition or desired effect. The range is from a yang 12 parts seed to 1 part salt up to a more yin 24 parts seed to 1 part salt.
To determine this in an efficient way with measuring spoons, you calculate that one teaspoon contains 5 milliliters and one tablespoon 15 milliliters or three teaspoons. If you want to make a 1 to 18 ratio, you would multiply 1 teaspoon by 18 (5 mls times 18 equals 90 mls) and divide the result (90) by 15, the amount in one tablespoon, to get 6, the total number of tablespoons. A 1 to 12 ratio would be 5 x 12 = 60 divided by 15 = 4. A 1 to 16 ratio would 5 x 16 = 80 divided by 15 = 5.33 = 5 tbs + 1 tsp (1/3rd tbs) and so on. A cup measures 250 milliliters which is 50 teaspoons or 16 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons. For a 1/2 teaspoon of  sea salt you would use 4 tablespoons of sesame seeds. You can figure out how to use this larger measurement if you want larger quantities.
To make the Gomashio, you heat a cast iron skillet and add the quantity of sea salt you want to use. After about two minutes pour the sea salt into a pestle and grind into a powder.
Put the quantity of brown, unhulled sesame seeds in the hot skillet and roast until they break up when you roll them between your ring finger and thumb on your weakest hand. If they pop while they are roasting there is too much heat. Either turn down or turn off the heat for the time being. Don’t let them burn.
Pour the powdered sea salt first and then the roasted seeds into a suribachi (a porcelain dish with ridges inside) and gently grind them with a wooden pestle until they are 80% ground. Let cool for about a half hour. This will keep in a closed jar for several weeks outside of the refrigerator.
Any washing of the ingredients is unnecessary. You can use black sesame seeds for a more yang effect, but white seeds are not recommended because they are not whole.
Use up to four tablespoons per day during the healing phase of your practice. Remember, it’s salt, even in this medicinal form.
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Now for all you dessert aficionados. Desserts aren’t really recommended for the first couple of years of macrobiotics, but every once in awhile they’re acceptable and, for those further along, in moderation.
An appropriate dessert for the liver season is lemon Kanten. Lemon is very cleansing for the liver and a tablespoon every other day throughout the wood season is helpful.
This dessert doesn’t use any sugar or fruit juices for sweetness. The ingredients for 4 cups of ”Creamy Lemon Kanten” (from Julia Ferre’s Basic Macrobiotic Cooking, published by G.O.M.F.) are:
1 Tbsp. agar-agar powder
3 Cups water
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 cup rice syrup
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 Tbsp. arrowroot dissolved in 2 Tbsp. water
flavoring: 1/2 cup lemon juice (1 or 2 large lemons)
(Note: other fruits can be added or substituted if your condition allows it. Julia’s book has several different recipes for this type of kanten. Check it out. It’s pretty simple stuff.-ed.)
Procedure: Bring agar-agar powder (Kanten), liquid, and salt to a boil. Simmer over low heat with lid agar until agar-agar is dissolved (2 to 3 minutes). Add lemon rind and rice syrup and bring to a boil. Dilute arrowroot, stir in and cook until clear (1 to 2 minutes). Remove from heat. Let cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes. Ladle into serving dishes. Add lemon rind. Cool at room temperature for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or put in refrigerator to speed up process. Enjoy.
By Bill Neall
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