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Horenso goma-ae
ほうれん草の胡麻和え: blanched spinach in a sweet toasted sesame dressing
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
Ingredients
Method
0/5 doneStep 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 minStep 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 minStep 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.
KrazyBadal
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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