Oshitashi (Japanese Boiled Spinach with Sesame and Soy)

Bring a pot or large pan of water to boil, with a little salt added. Once it’s boiling, add spinach and cook for a minute. Take the spinach out of the water as soon as it starts to wilt a little (don’t wait until it’s completely wilted). Shock it in a bowl of cold water and ice (this stops it from cooking).

Remove the spinach from the ice water and squeeze out as much water as you can without pressing too hard on the spinach. You’ll end up with a ball about the size of your hand. Roughly chop it, squeeze out a bit more water and gently separate the leaves.

Put the spinach leaves in a bowl and add soy, mirin, sesame seeds, and sesame oil. Mix well and serve.