Horenso goma-ae

Name: Horenso goma-ae
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 250 g spinach; 1 tsp salt; 3 tbsp white sesame seeds; 2 tsp sugar; 2 tsp soy sauce; 1 tsp water

Spinach with sesame dressing

ほうれん草の胡麻和え: blanched spinach in a sweet toasted sesame dressing

Features:

Vegetarian Quick Dairy free

Cuisine:

Japanese

Horenso no goma-ae (ほうれん草の胡麻和え) is one of the most common side dishes in Japanese home cooking and bento boxes. Spinach is blanched for a few seconds, squeezed dry and tossed in a nutty dressing of freshly toasted, crushed sesame seeds with soy and a little sugar. Toasting and grinding the seeds yourself makes all the difference. Serve as one of several small dishes with rice and miso soup. Chef's tip: toast and grind the sesame yourself just before mixing. Ready-ground sesame tastes flat; freshly ground seeds smell like roasted nuts and give the dish its rich flavour.

Total time: 10 min
Difficulty: easy
Serves: 2

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Ingredients

Serves2

9 oz spinachwashed, roots trimmed
1 tsp saltfor the cooking water
3 tbsp white sesame seeds
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp water

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What you'll need

Mortar and pestle

Spices & pantry

Fresh ingredients (1)

spinach

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Method

0/5 done

Step 1: Toast 3 tbsp white sesame seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium-low heat for 2–3 minutes, shaking the pan, until golden, fragrant and starting to pop and jump in the pan. Tip straight out onto a plate: they go from golden to burnt in seconds.
3 min
Step 2: Grind the seeds in a mortar and pestle (a Japanese suribachi is ideal) until about two-thirds are crushed and smell fragrant. Grind in 2 tsp sugar, then stir in 2 tsp soy sauce and 1 tsp water to a loose paste.
Step 3: Bring a pan of water to the boil with 1 tsp salt. Hold 9 oz spinach by the leaves and dip the stems in for 10 seconds, then drop the whole lot in for 20–30 seconds more, until just wilted and bright green.
1 min
Step 4: Drain and plunge into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking and keep the colour. Line the spinach up in a bundle and squeeze firmly to remove as much water as you can.
Step 5: Cut the bundle into 4 cm lengths, loosen it with your fingers and toss with the sesame dressing just before serving.

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 120 kcal
Protein: 6 g
Carbs: 9 g
Fat: 8 g
Fibre: 4 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does horenso goma-ae take?: About 10 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?: 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it vegan?: Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
What can I use instead of white sesame seeds?: Poppy seeds or finely chopped pumpkin seeds, same amount.
What can I use instead of sugar?: Caster sugar, same amount.

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