ohitashi

This method infuses ingredients with umami and subtle flavor but retains the food's natural taste.&nbsp;It's one of common methods we use to prepare vegetable dishes.&nbsp;

Spinach Ohitashi (Japanese Spinach Salad with Savory Broth)

spinach

salt

water

kombu (dried kelp) ((5 g, about 2"x 2"))

mirin

Tbsp usukuchi (light-color) soy sauce

white sesame seeds ((for vegan/vegetarian))

katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) ((for non-vegan/vegetarian))

Gather all the ingredients.

In a saucepan, put water and kombu.

Slowly bring it to a boil. Once boiling, remove the kombu from the liquid (You can make Kombu Tsukudani with the used kombu). If you are not vegan/vegetarian, you can add a small amount of katsuobushi to make Awase Dashi for more flavors. Please see the instruction here. If you&#x27;re using dashi powder, please read here.

To Make Kombu Dashi

In Kombu Dashi, add mirin and usukuchi soy sauce.

Mix together and once it boils, turn off the heat.

To Make Savory Broth

Rinse the spinach and boil a large pot of water.

When the water is boiling, add the salt and put the spinach in the pot from the stem side first because it takes longer to cook. After 15 seconds, you can push down the leafy part into the water and cook for 1 minute. (US spinach is tender than Japanese spinach, so it’ll cook faster).

Once the spinach is cooked through, pick it up quickly, roughly less than 1 minute.

Transfer to iced water and let it cool (but don’t leave the spinach too long as you will lose the nutrients).

As soon as it’s cooled, collect spinach and squeeze water out. If you like to serve as I do, collect the stem and put together. I like to serve both stem and leafy parts separately instead of mixing it up together.

Cut the spinach into 1 ½ inch lengths and squeeze the water out one more time.

Put the spinach in the airtight container and pour the sauce over.

Make sure the spinach is evenly distributed in the container and soak in the sauce. Put the lid on and let it soak in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (3-4 hours ideally).

To Prepare Spinach

Serve the spinach in a bowl and pour the sauce over. I like to make sure each bowl gets both spinach stem and leafy part. Love the dark and light color contrast to each other.

Sprinkle sesame seeds for vegan/vegetarian version, and bonito flakes for non-vegan/vegetarian version.

To Serve

You can keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To Store

A healthy, delicious and quick Japanese oshitashi recipe that will have your whole family begging for more spinach at dinnertime!

Ohitashi

pre-washed spinach

sesame oil

sesame seeds

soy sauce

Bring a pot or large pan of water to boil, with a little salt added. Add spinach to boiling water and cook for a minute. Take the spinach out as soon as it starts to wilt a little (don&#8217;t wait until it&#8217;s completely wilted). Shock it in a bowl of cold water and ice (this stops it from cooking).

Remove the spinach from ice water and squeeze out as much water as you can without pressing too hard on the spinach. You&#8217;ll end up with a ball about the size of your hand. Roughly chop it, squeeze out a bit more water and gently separate the leaves.

Put the spinach in a bowl and add soy, mirin, sesame seeds, and sesame oil. Mix well and serve.

Okra Ohitashi is a simple, light, and flavorful Japanese side dish of blanched okra in a soy sauce-based marinade. Prepare it ahead of time, so you can serve this salad instantly for dinner.

Okura Ohitashi (Japanese Okra Salad)

okra ((100 g, 3.5 oz))

½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt

dashi (Japanese soup stock)

Tbsp usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce

katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) ((omit for vegetarian/vegan))

Before You Start…Please note that this recipe requires 1–2 hours of soaking time. Gather all the ingredients.

Cut off the stem ends of 10 okra. Peel off the hard part around the tops of the okra as shown in the picture below.

They should look like this. Tip: If you cut the end completely, water gets inside.

Bring enough water to a boil. Sprinkle ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt over the okra and rub gently on the cutting board. Tip: This brings out the bright color of any green vegetables (such as cucumbers) and removes the bitter taste.

Once the water has come to a boil, put in the okra (without removing the salt) in the boiling water and blanch for 1–2 minutes.

Drain and cool the okra in iced water. As soon as they are cool, remove from the water and squeeze gently to remove excess water. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, add 2 Tbsp mirin and let the alcohol evaporate for 1–2 minutes.

When there is no more alcohol smell, add 1 cup dashi (Japanese soup stock) and 2 Tbsp usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce. Once it boils, turn off the heat and set aside.

Transfer the okra to a shallow glass baking dish. Pour the marinade into the dish while the marinade is still warm. Let steep at room temperature for at least 1–2 hours before serving.

Plate the okra on a serving dish, drizzle some marinade over the okra, and sprinkle with katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes). You can serve it at room temperature or chilled. Enjoy it within 2 days.

Hi Nami! I was wondering why it can only be stored for 2 days. Does it becomes slimy if kept for too long?

First time making okra and will definitely do it again! Veggies were crisp, light, and flavorful. Great balance for a heavier main dish.

Dear Nami, thank you for this recipe! I never liked okra as a child but love to cook and try new things. This is a wonderful preparation and it worked really well my first time. Mine turned out a little slimy, but it was OK as a light summer dish served cold, and fairly simple to make. Your instructions are clear with the photos and I will try steaming them next time.

I love this recipe!
I did tweak it a bit by adding 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tsp ginger, and 1/2 tsp pepper flakes to the marinade.
Also, I added some grape tomatoes and diced tofu while marinating as well.
Okra pairs well with tomatoes, and the ginger and vinegar really brighten the flavor!

This is my favorite way to eat okra now! I make it using the instant tsuyu you can buy at Japanese groceries, so it's much easier 😂 thank you for this recipe.

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