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–+ servings

Spinach Ohitashi (Japanese Spinach Salad in Dashi)

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Soaking time1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 35 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 4 portions

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

  • Wash 200 g Oriental spinach, paying careful attention to the roots where sometimes dirt and sand can become lodged.
    cleaning the roots of spinach in a bowl of water
  • Place the spinach in a bowl of cold water and rest for 10 minutes.
    washed spinach in a bowl of water
  • Take a small saucepan and add 240 ml dashi stock, 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) and 2 tbsp mirin. Bring to a boil and let it bubble for 2 minutes before removing the pan from the heat. This base sauce is called "hitashi-ji" or "happo-ji".
    Ohitashi dashi-based broth simmering on the stove
  • Heat 2 liters water in a separate pot and prepare a bowl of ice-cold water. Once the pot of water is boiling, add 1 tbsp salt (approx 1% weight of the water) and mix to dissolve. Drain the spinach and place it in the pot so that the stems are submerged but the leaves are poking out. Boil for 30 seconds.
    Cooking the thicker parts of spinach in boiling water (leaves not yet submerged)
  • After 30 seconds, use tongs or chopsticks to press down the rest of the spinach, submerging the leaves. Blanch for 15 seconds.
    Whole spinach (both stems and leaves) submerged in a pot of boiling water on the stove
  • Immediately transfer the blanched spinach to the bowl of ice water and leave to chill for 10 minutes.
    Blanched spinach in a bowl of ice water
  • Remove the spinach from the bowl after 10 minutes and gently squeeze out the water. Place them on a bamboo sushi mat and roll it tightly.
    Blanched spinach placed on a bamboo sushi rolling mat
  • Squeeze the sushi mat firmly over a sink to remove as much water as possible.
    squeezing water out of the blanched spinach
  • Unroll the mat and place it on a flat surface with the spinach still in place. Pour 1 tbsp of the hitashi-ji over the spinach to remove any remaining water.
    blanched spinach on a bamboo sushi mat with pan of dashi-based broth held above it
  • Wrap the spinach with the sushi mat again and squeeze once more.
    squeezing water out of the blanched spinach
  • Transfer the spinach to a lidded container and pour the remaining hitashi-ji over the top. If the spinach is not fully submerged, press plastic wrap directly over the surface. Cover with a lid and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, overnight if time permits.
    Ohitashi spinach salad in dashi covered with plastic wrap in a container
  • Cut off the stems and cut into bitesize pieces.
    Ohitashi Japanese spinach salad cut into bitesize pieces on a bamboo chopping board on a white background
  • Divide into serving bowls with a drizzle of hitashi-ji and a sprinkle of bonito flakes (katsuobushi). Serve as a side dish with Japanese-style meals and enjoy!

Notes

Make the dish vegetarian/vegan by using shiitake and kombu dashi and sprinkling with sesame seeds instead of bonito flakes.
Keep leftovers refrigerated in the sauce and consume within 2-3 days.