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Best by May 25, 2026

Even though sesame oil is made from only the one ingredient, the way that ingredient is grown, roasted, ground and filtered makes a huge difference in taste. Cuizi Small-Mill Sesame Oil (Cuizi Xiaomo Xiangyou ) comes from Shandong, the home of China's best sesame products, and has inherited a 600-year history of producing sesame oil in a very specific way for superior color, fragrance and taste:

• The company developed its own non-GMO sesame cultivar and has a planting base in an area certified by China's Green Food program as pollution-free. Rather than using just-harvested seeds, it germinates them slightly to promote the production of highly nutritious natural antioxidants such as sesamolin, sesamin and sesamol
• The highly roasted sesame embryos are ground by small stone mills at low pressure and low temperature, about 140°F, so as to not destroy the aromatic substances and functional nutrients in the sesame oil. (Large-scale oil extraction in metal equipment uses high pressure and temperatures as high as 500°F)
• The sesame oil is then separated from the sesame solids by a natural, water replacement method versus the chemicals used in standard production
• Finally, the oil is filtered through a patented technology that uses natural plant fibers for 36 layers of physical filtration to remove any impurities

As scientific as some of this sounds, the basic process is attributed to one Cui Zeshi, who invented the water replacement method in 1408, hence the brand name of Cuizi. The Ruifu Oil Co. picked up the mantle and process in 1984 and carries the China Time-Honored Brand designation for the traditional technique of Cuizi sesame oil, which is also recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Shandong Province. Ruifu makes only sesame products, a focus that allows it to produce the very best. 

Roasty, toasty, nutty sesame oil is used widely and frequently in China, mostly as a finishing oil for stir-fries or a component of sauces. You'll definitely want it to finish the beef with tangerine peel below.

Chenpi is the dried, aged peel of mandarin citrus, a small, slightly flat orange that is native to Southern China. (It is also translated as the dried peel of tangerine, a variety of mandarin.) 

The loose skin of the mandarin is the most valuable part of the fruit. It contains 24 kinds of volatile oil components and a high number of flavonoids (according to Baidu Wiki), making it desirable for both culinary and medicinal purposes. 

Like many heritage products in China, Xinhui chenpi, or dried mandarin peel from Xinhui, has national geographical indication, officially honoring the district of Jiangmen city in Guangdong province as the maker of the most prized chenpi in China. 

The mandarin peels are sun-dried and aged anywhere from 1 to 30 years, becoming darker, harder and sweeter over time. For Traditional Chinese Medicine, the older the  peel the better, with the oldest commanding luxury-goods prices. 

For our purposes here, which are first and foremost culinary, we have sourced an affordable 2-year-old Xinhui chenpi cut in large segments. Soak them in warm water to soften, for no more than 30 minutes, before use.