Japanese Sesame Sauce for Shabu Shabu

Have you ever had a shabu shabu? It's thinly sliced beef, pork, fish, tofu, veggies, and noodles sloshed around in broth to cook quickly and dipped in sauces. It is much like fondue without the cheese. The traditional sauces are Ponzu Sauce (I have two posted here) and Sesame Sauce. There are more sauces people use, but these are the original ones.

• Ready In: 10 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 6  tablespoons  white sesame seeds
• 7⁄8 cup  dashi
• 1⁄3 cup sake
• 1  tablespoon mirin
• 1  teaspoon sugar
• 3  tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 -2  garlic clove, minced

Directions

1. Toast sesame seeds in a frying pan until you hear 4-5 pops. Remove from heat. Grind sesame seeds in a mortor or a coffee grinder. You do not need to to grind completely smooth.
2. Add all the seasonings with ground sesame seeds. If you want to make this without the alcohol content, cook off alcohol from sake for about 10-15 seconds in the microwave.
3. Use the sauce for dipping shabu shabu pieces.