I use sesame seeds for cooking a lot. I always toast them first, then keep the toasted sesame seeds in an airtight container ready to uses. When I need to grind sesame seeds, I use ‘Suribachi’.

‘Suribachi’ is a Japanese mortar. My suribachi is a small one, about 10cm in diameter. This is one of the essentials in my kitchen. But you don’t need ‘Suribachi’ to grind the sesame seeds. You only need a tough plastic bag and rolling pin. If you don’t have a rolling pin, a spoon will do the job.


Method
  1. Toast the sesame seeds first. I recommend to use a saucepan rather than a frying pan.
  2. Place raw sesame seeds in a saucepan, heat over medium heat, and keep shaking and tossing until light golden. The hot saucepan will keep cooking even after being removed from the heat and turn the seeds golden. 
  3. Allow the sesame seeds to cool.
  4. Place the cooled toasted sesame seeds in a tough plastic bag. Seal the bag.
  5. Using a rolling pin (or a spoon), press down the seeds until the desired texture is achieved. Now the aromatic ground toasted sesame seeds are ready to use.