Step 1

Gather all the ingredients.

Step 2

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Even if your sesame seeds are toasted/roasted, it’s good to toast them again in a non-greased frying pan for a couple of minutes, gently jiggling the pan. Be careful not to burn them.

Step 3

With a pestle and a mortar (or spice grinder), grind the sesame seeds, leaving some seeds uncrushed to add texture to the sauce.

Step 4

Add soy sauce and sugar and mix it all together. The dressing looks more like a paste than dressing. Set aside.

Step 5

To prepare the green beans. If your green beans are not trimmed, snap the tip of one end of the bean with your fingers and draw it down the length of one side of the bean to remove any possible string. Do the same thing with the other end, pulling it down the other side of the bean.

Step 6

Add a pinch of salt and the green beans to the boiling water.

Step 7

Cook the green beans for 4-5 minutes (3 minutes for French green beans/Haricots Verts) until they are bright green and tender but still crunchy.

Step 8

Remove from the heat, place in a strainer, and quickly rinse them in cold water to stop them from cooking further (or you can transfer them to an ice-water bath). Shocking the green beans with cold water will help the beans stay green. You don’t need to chill them; the beans should still be warm. Drain or dry well with a clean towel and cut them into 2-inch long pieces.

Step 9

Transfer the warm beans to the bowl and toss them in the sesame dressing. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Step 10

Keep the leftover in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.