After our recent post about cutting down on salt, Ariane (our salt-free inspiration) shared her recipe for homemade gomasio with us.

We were super chuffed at that because we love gomasio. Why? Well, it’s a handy salt replacement that has a yummy grilled taste, and that’s much lower in sodium and more nutritious than simple salt. But somehow we had never thought to make it at home before.

So here goes!

Gomasio is generally made up of a mix of toasted sesame seeds, seaweed, and salt. It’s a macrobiotic seasoning that replaces simple salt, and is much richer in nutrition and taste. It’s very popular in Asian cuisine for sprinkling here, there and everywhere.

But because we love to play around with recipes, this version also has a trio of toasted nuts. The nuts make the gomasio more rich and tasty, and the ratios mean it’s even lower in salt.

We use pink Himalayan salt, which is purer and more nutritious than sea salt. As its name suggests, it comes from the Himalayan mountains.

What? Salt from a mountain? Yes, thanks to some geological funsies, there’s pretty pink rock salt to be had from one of the most virgin, unpolluted areas of the world. Himalayan salt is also lower in sodium than sea salt, so it fits in nicely with our quest to reduce sodium.

You can use gomasio as a replacement for salt in any dish. It’s especially good on:

• Brown rice
• Cooked veggies
• Pasta dishes
• Salads, such as our Kale Citrus Tahini Salad

Kept in a sealed container, in the fridge, your homemade gomasio will keep for up to three weeks.

I’m chowing down on delish gomasio broccoli as I write, and using my chopsticks to try out Asian-style hairdos in preparation for our Asian cooking workshop tonight at 5 Lorette. Mainly looking like an alien/1980s TV set though, if you can picture the scene. But most of all, really enjoying this simple food. It’s actually so yum that it doesn’t even need oil/vinaigrette. Could my lunch be any healthier?

Have fun experimenting with this toasty and nutty homemade gomasio. Don’t forget to tag your recipe experiments with #veggiemagnifique!

Love and pink food,

P.S. If you’re allergic to nuts, try a seed version instead and let us know how you get on!