Japanese cuisine · Vegetable Dishes

Horenso no Ohitashi

Blanched spinach steeped in seasoned dashi, bundled and sliced, then sprinkled with katsuobushi.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 600 g spinach
• 200 ml dashi
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 5 g bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tsp salt for the cooking water

Instructions

1. Bring the dashi, soy sauce and mirin to a brief boil, then remove from the heat and let cool completely — the cold liquid is the seasoning base.
2. Wash the spinach thoroughly and line up the stems so the leaves will cook evenly.
3. Bring plenty of water with the salt to a boil and blanch the spinach, stems first, for 40–60 sec., until the leaves wilt but stay deep green.
4. Plunge immediately into ice water, shape the spinach into a firm roll and squeeze hard with your hands until almost no water runs out.
5. Cut the roll into 4 cm pieces, place in a shallow dish and pour over the cold dashi liquid; let steep for at least 15 min.
6. Stand the bundles upright in small bowls, add a little of the liquid and serve at once sprinkled with bonito flakes and sesame seeds.