Ohitashi - Japanese Spinach Salad

dashi

🥗Healthier: vegetable broth

💰Cheaper: water + soy sauce

Vegetable broth provides a similar umami flavor.

mirin

🥗Healthier: rice vinegar + sugar

💰Cheaper: white vinegar + sugar

Rice vinegar + sugar mimics mirin's sweetness.

soy sauce

🥗Healthier: low-sodium soy sauce

💰Cheaper: tamari

Tamari is often similar in price and gluten-free.

sesame seeds

🥗Healthier: pumpkin seeds

💰Cheaper: sunflower seeds

Pumpkin seeds add crunch and nutrition at a lower cost.

Wash the spinach in a large bowl of water to remove dirt, changing the water occasionally.

Add the roots and stems of the spinach to a large pot of boiling water and cook for about 40 seconds.

Stir in the leaves and cook for about another minute until the spinach is wilted.

Transfer the spinach to a bowl of ice cold water using tongs to stop the cooking process.

Once the spinach is cold, line them up by the root end and untangle any leaves if necessary.

Squeeze out as much liquid from the spinach as possible, starting from the root end and working down to the leaves.

Trim off the roots of the spinach and cut the spinach into 2-inch lengths for even presentation.

Prepare the dashi by boiling 2 cups of water with a dashi pack for about 5 minutes, then measure out 1 cup into a container.

Add 1 tablespoon of Usukuchi soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of mirin, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the dashi and stir until the salt dissolves.

Soak the squeezed spinach in the seasoned dashi for a few minutes to absorb the flavor.

Transfer the spinach to a shallow bowl and spoon over some of the dashi broth.

Garnish with yuzu zest before serving.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens