Green Beans in Sesame Dressing (Ingen no goma-ae)Ingredients:

* 175g (6 oz.) frozen whole green beans * a pinch of salt

For the dressing:

* 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds * 1 tablespoon caster sugar * * 2/3 tablespoon dashi stock ** * 1/2 tablespoon miso paste * 1 tablespoon soy sauce

Sesame enjoys a reputation of being a healthy food in Japan and both black and white sesame are common ingredients in Japanese cuisine. To toast the seeds for this recipe, simply put them in a frying pan without oil then heat while stirring until the seeds have puffed up and you can smell the distinctive aroma of sesame.Directions

1. Boil the beans in a pan of water for 5 minutes or until tender.

2. Finely grind the sesame seeds in a pestle and mortar or in a coffee grinder. Add the sugar, dashi, miso paste and soy sauce and mix together well.

3. Toss the green beans in the sesame dressing and serve as a side dish.

* Caster sugar is superfine granulated sugar.