Spinach Goma-ae (Japanese Sesame Spinach) | ほうれん草の胡麻和え
Spinach gomaae is a classic Japanese side dish of blanched spinach tossed in a sweet and savory sesame sauce.
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Servings: 3
Ingredients
- 8 oz raw spinach
- 3 tbsp
toasted sesame seeds* - 1 ½ tsp sugar**
- 1 ½ tsp soy sauce** or tamari for gluten-free
- 2-3 tsp water as needed
Instructions
- Blanch spinach: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add spinach and cook for 30 seconds. Immediately add to a bowl of ice water, or drain and rinse under cold water to prevent further cooking.
- Remove excess water: Once the spinach has cooled, gather spinach in handfuls and squeeze out excess water.
- Chop: Roughly chop the spinach into 1-inch segments and place in a bowl.
- Grind sesame seeds: Grind the toasted sesame seeds. (Typically with a pestle and mortar, but you can try using a coffee/spice grinder, food processor, or blender. You may need to double or triple the quantity.) It doesn't need to be finely ground, some whole seeds are fine.
- Make sauce: Add sugar and soy sauce (or tamari/coconut aminos) and mix in with the ground sesame seeds.
- Thin sauce: Add water as needed to make the sauce easier to mix with the spinach.
- Toss: Add sesame sauce to spinach and mix well until spinach is evenly coated.
Notes
Soy-Free/Whole30 Option: Replace sugar and soy sauce with 1 tbsp coconut aminos*.