Sesame-Dressed Spinach (ほうれん草のごま和え, Hōrensō no Goma-ae)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Suribachi (Japanese ridged mortar), or a mortar and pestle
• •Dry skillet
• •Wide pot
• •Colander

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast the sesame

   Put the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium-low heat and shake the pan until the seeds smell nutty and a few turn pale gold, 3 to 4 minutes. Don't chase dark color. Sesame keeps cooking in its own heat, and bitterness arrives faster than a teacher with a red pencil.

   Toast just until fragrant because aroma, not browning, is the sign you want. The dressing depends on the clean oil inside the seed.
2. 2

   Grind the dressing

   While the sesame is still warm, grind it in a suribachi, a ridged Japanese mortar, until about half the seeds are crushed and the mixture looks sandy and moist. Stir in the soy sauce, dashi, sugar, and mirin until glossy. Leave some texture. A perfectly smooth paste is less interesting under the teeth.

   No suribachi? Use a mortar and pestle, or pulse very briefly in a spice grinder. Stop before it turns oily and heavy.
3. 3

   Blanch the spinach

   Bring a wide pot of water to a boil and add a pinch of salt. Hold the spinach by the leaves and lower the stems into the water first for 20 seconds, then submerge the leaves for another 30 to 40 seconds, just until the color brightens and the stems bend without snapping. The stems need a head start because they're thicker, and the leaves need only a glance at the heat.

4. 4

   Cool and squeeze

   Lift the spinach into cold water at once, swish it gently, then drain. Gather the stems together, align the bundle, and squeeze from top to bottom until no water runs freely from it. Be firm, not savage. Too much water thins the sesame dressing, but crushing the leaves makes the dish muddy.

   This is the detail that decides the dish. Wet spinach turns goma-ae bland, no matter how good the sesame is.
5. 5

   Cut and dress

   Cut the squeezed spinach into 4cm lengths, keeping the pieces neatly aligned. Loosen them with your fingers, then fold them into the sesame dressing just until every piece is lightly coated. Taste once. If it tastes flat, add a few drops of soy sauce, not more sugar.

6. 6

   Serve with space

   Mound the spinach in a small bowl with a little height, stems and leaves mixed so the color reads alive. Scatter a small pinch of toasted sesame over the top if you held some back. Serve cool or at room temperature, never swimming in dressing.

Chef Tips

• •Choose spinach with perky stems and clean, deep green leaves. If the bunch is limp or yellowing, make something else. Nothing hidden, especially in a dish this plain.
• •The dressing should taste slightly strong before it meets the greens. Spinach softens salt and sweetness, so a timid dressing disappears.
• •For a meatless table, use konbu and dried shiitake dashi. That is honmono in the temple-kitchen line, not a compromise.
• •Don't dress the spinach while it's warm. Warm greens drink unevenly and the sesame aroma goes flat.

Advance Preparation

• •The sesame dressing can be made 1 day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Bring it back to room temperature and stir before using.
• •Blanch and squeeze the spinach up to 6 hours ahead, then refrigerate it undressed. Dress it shortly before serving so the color stays clear and the bowl doesn't weep.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 65g)