Japanese Spinach Salad with Sesame Dressing
Spring is the perfect time to make this nutrient dense Japanese Baby Spinach Salad with Sesame dressing. It’s simple, easy to make and bursting with flavor. A bowl of steamed Sushi Rice topped with Furikake and Salmon Row served with this delicious Spinach make for a light, healthy weeknight dinner.
Spinach is an excellent source of essential nutrients, vitamins A, C and K as well as iron, magnesium, folate, lutein and potassium.
Lutein is protective against age-related eye diseases and has been shown to help preserve thinking abilities including verbal fluency, memory, reasoning ability, and processing speed. With healthful seasonal vegetables at every meal it’s no wonder Japanese women have the highest life expectancy in the world.
Organic Ingredients, serves 4
1 Lb/454 grams/16oz Baby Spinach Leaves
1/2 Tsp. Celtic Sea Salt
6 Tbsps. Toasted Sesame Seeds
3 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp. Tamari Soy Sauce
Method
Place the Spinach and half a teaspoon of Salt in a large stainless steel pot (like one you’d boil spaghetti in) on high heat. If you don’t have a large enough pot to fit all the Spinach do this in two batches. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Remove cover half way through and mix, bringing Spinach from the bottom up. Do not add any liquid. Uncover, reduce heat to medium and cook for 30 seconds more mixing constantly. Remove from heat and put Spinach into a large sieve and place under cold running water for 30 seconds mixing to ensure uniform cooling. Place sieve on top of your pot while you make your dressing so that excess liquid can drip off of the leaves.
Place Toasted Sesame Seeds in a stainless steel pan and bring to medium heat. Lightly toast for a minute or two, mixing as you go and watching carefully so they don’t burn. No need to add any oil.
Place 5 tbsps. of the warm, toasted Sesame Seeds in a large Pestle & Mortar. Leave 1 Tbsp. aside for garnish. Crush toasted Sesame Seeds in the pestle and mortar for a good minute. Add Brown Sugar and Soy Sauce and mix well.
Using your hands squeeze liquid out of Spinach before placing on your serving bowl.
Mix Dressing into Spinach a spoonful at a time, tasting as you go. This recipe makings a little extra dressing to what’s needed so you can add it on other vegetables, avocado etc. Garnish with sesame seeds and enjoy. Salad can be served warm, room temp. or chilled.
Notes:
The professional way to make this dish, ie, if you were a chef in a restaurant you’d bring a large pot of water to boil, blanch the Spinach for 30 seconds then throw it in a large ice bowl to stop the cooking process. That’s just much a do about nothing for me; this method is much less tedious and works well.
Place the Spinach and half a teaspoon of Salt in a large stainless steel pot on high heat. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Remove cover half way through and mix, bringing Spinach from the bottom up. Do not add any liquid. Uncover, reduce heat to medium and cook for 30 seconds more mixing constantly.
Uncover, reduce heat to medium and cook for 30 seconds more mixing constantly.
Remove from heat and put Spinach into a large sieve and place under cold running water for 30 seconds mixing to ensure uniform cooling.
Place sieve on top of your pot while you make your dressing so that excess liquid can drip off of the leaves.
Place Toasted Sesame Seeds in a stainless steel pan and bring to medium heat. Lightly toast for a minute or two, mixing as you go and watching carefully so they don’t burn. No need to add any oil.
Place 5 tbsps. of the warm, toasted Sesame Seeds in a large Pestle & Mortar. Leave 1 Tbsp. aside for garnish.
Crush toasted Sesame Seeds in the pestle and mortar for a good minute. Add Brown Sugar and Soy Sauce and mix well.
Using your hands squeeze liquid out of Spinach before placing on your serving bowl.
Mix Dressing into Spinach a spoonful at a time tasting as you go.
This recipe makings a little extra dressing to what’s needed so you can add it on other vegetables, avocado etc. Garnish with sesame seeds and enjoy.
Served here with Avocado with Sesame Sauce on top, Sliced Cucumbers with Sesame Sauce and a Salmon Roe Don Buri Bowl.