Kewpie Deep Roasted Sesame Dressing, 12 oz, 2 Pack

Kewpie is one of the most familiar names in the Japanese kitchen, a Tokyo company that has been making mayonnaise and dressings since the 1920s, and this is the bottle that carries its reputation abroad. The sesame is taken well past a light toast before it is ground, and that deep roast is what gives the dressing its color and its heavy nutty aroma. The texture is creamy rather than thin, closer to a pourable sauce than a vinaigrette.

Most people meet it on a wedge of iceberg or a pile of shredded cabbage, but it travels much further than salad. Use it as a dipping sauce for shabu-shabu or steamed dumplings, thin it slightly for cold noodles, spoon it over grilled chicken or a rice bowl, or set it out as a dip for cucumber spears and carrot sticks. It also works as a marinade for chicken thighs or pork before they hit the grill.

Two bottles is a sensible buy for a household that goes through it.