Japanese Spinach Salad with Sesame Dressing (Gomaae) 胡麻和え

Gather all the ingredients. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of cold water with a few ice cubes.

To toast the sesame seeds (optional): For the sesame sauce, put the sesame seeds in a frying pan and toast them on low heat, shaking the pan constantly. When 2-3 sesame seeds start to pop, remove them from the heat.

Grind the sesame seeds with a mortar and pestle. Leave some seeds whole for texture.

Add the sesame sauce seasonings to the ground sesame seeds and mix all together.

Once the water is boiling, add the salt. First, add the spinach stems first and hold for 15-20 seconds since they take longer to cook. Then, push the leaves down to submerge them in water. Blanch until the stems are no longer rigid, about 30-45 seconds. Tip: American spinach is very soft and we can eat it raw, unlike Japanese spinach.

Remove the spinach from the pot and plunge it into the iced water to stop the cooking. Alternatively, drain and run the spinach under cold running water until cool. Once the spinach is cool enough to handle, collect the spinach and squeeze the water out. Do not leave the spinach in water for too long or else they lose nutrients.

Cut the spinach into 1-inch (2.5 cm) lengths and put in a medium bowl.

Add the sesame sauce to the spinach and toss it all together. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

To Store:

You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or freezer for 2-4 weeks.