Japanese Spinach Salad with Sesame Dressing (Gomaae)

Step 1

Gather all the ingredients.

Step 2

To toast the sesame seeds (optional): For the sesame sauce, put the sesame seeds in a frying pan and toast them on low heat, shaking the pan constantly. When 2-3 sesame seeds start to pop, remove them from the heat.

Step 3

Grind the sesame seeds with a mortar and pestle. Leave some seeds whole for texture.

Step 4

Add the sesame sauce seasonings to the ground sesame seeds and mix all together.

Step 5

Add the salt to a large pot and bring the water to a boil. Then, add the spinach to the pot, stem ends first (which take longer to cook), and blanch for 30-45 seconds. Tip: American spinach is very soft and we can eat it raw unlike Japanese spinach; therefore, cooking for 30-45 seconds is enough.

Step 6

Remove the spinach from the pot and plunge into iced water to stop the cooking. Alternatively, drain and run the spinach under cold running water until cool. Collect the spinach and squeeze the water out.

Step 7

Cut the spinach into 1- to 2-inch (2.5-5 cm) lengths and put in a medium bowl.

Step 8

Add the sesame sauce to the spinach and toss it all together. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Step 9

You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or freezer for 2-4 weeks.