What dim sum dessert is a refrigerated thin layer of black sesame paste?

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The dim sum dessert made from a refrigerated thin layer of black sesame paste is black sesame roll.

Black sesame roll is a Hong Kong dessert with a smooth, soft texture and a sweet sesame flavour. Its preparation begins by spreading or drying black sesame paste into a thin sheet. The sheet is then chilled and rolled into individual portions, producing the distinctive spiral-like appearance.

The dessert became especially popular in Hong Kong during the 1970s and 1980s and later spread to Cantonese restaurants overseas. It is normally served cold or refrigerated, which distinguishes it from black sesame soup, a hot sweet dessert soup made from ground sesame seeds.

A common mix-up is sesame ball, another familiar dim sum sweet. Sesame balls are deep-fried, coated with sesame seeds, and usually filled with lotus, red bean, or black bean paste. Mango pudding and coconut pudding are also chilled desserts, but neither is formed from a rolled sheet of black sesame paste.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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