NYC-based small business Yun Hai 雲海 offers a selection of premium ingredients for Chinese and Taiwanese cooking, sourcing directly from artisans, farms, and soy sauce breweries in Taiwan.

This cold-pressed black sesame oil is so richly scented it coats the throat as you breathe it in. The seeds are toasted over a meticulously controlled wood fire, steamed to break down the seed walls, then shaped into oilseed cakes in circular molds. These circular cakes, wrapped in paper, are stacked in a hydraulic press and slowly compressed to squeeze the oil out. Unlike expeller-pressed sesame oil, this compression method is a low-heat process, which keeps the oil as pure and unaltered as possible.

The resulting oil is light, toasty, fresh, and well balanced. Sesame oil is a healthy oil, containing mostly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Use it for salad dressings, finishing stir fries, or use as a dip. Absolutely versatile but avoid high heat.