Spinach Gomaae – Japanase Spinach Salad

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice.

Add the spinach to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Quickly remove the leaves with tongs and immerse them in the ice water to halt the cooking and preserve the bright green colour. Once cool, gently roll the spinach in a clean towel. Squeeze gently and set aside to dry.

Grind the sesame seeds to a paste in a spice/coffee grinder or mortar and pestle. Dissolve the sugar in 1 tablespoon of very hot water. In a small bowl, combine the sesame paste, sugar, soya sauce and sake.

Cut the spinach into 2” lengths. To serve, pile a small amount of spinach on the plate and drizzle with the sesame dressing. Garnish with sesame seeds or Gomashio.

Leftover dressing will keep, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Tips:

When you salt water for cooking, it should taste salty.

I tried this with black sesame seeds. It tastes the same, but the colour is, as you’d expect, muddy.