This Japanese Spinach salad applies a simple method called the Ohitashi to infuse vegetables with umami and subtle flavor.
Ingredients
1/2 cup
Kelp (kombu, tangle) seaweed, raw
(large piece)
6 cup
Water
1 cup
Bonito Flakes
1 bunch
Spinach
(well washed)
1 1/4 cup
Dashi
(homemade or store bought)
1/4 cup
Tamari, gluten free, reduced sodium
1 tbsp
Sesame seeds
(to garnish)
2 tbsp
Bonito Flakes
(to garnish)
Instructions
First, make the dashi. Combine the kombu with water (see ingredients for exact measurement) and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Add the bonito flakes and turn off the heat. Let sit for 10 minutes, then drain and reserve the liquid.
To make the spinach, boil a large pot of water and have a bowl of ice water ready. Add the spinach to the boiling water and cook for about 1 minute, then immediately transfer to the ice bath to stop the cooking. Once cool, strain, gently wring dry and roughly chop.
In a saucepan, combine the amount of dashi stated in the ingredients list, and the tamari. Bring to a simmer.
To serve, ladle the dashi broth over the spinach in a soup bowl and garnish with the sesame seeds and bonito flakes.
Notes:
Ohitashi refers to a dish in which vegetables are steeped in a dashi-based sauce. It’s a common Japanese cooking technique used for preparing vegetable dishes. This method infuses the ingredients with dashi’s umami and subtle flavor, but still retaining its natural taste.
To make Ohitashi, you first blanch the vegetable, then halt the cooking in the ice bath. Afterward, allow the vegetable to absorb the dashi-based sauce.
