Spinach Re-Discovered
17 June 2008
When I was a child, we often had cream spinach at home, which I always loved (and I still do). Although of course I knew it was a vegetable, I did not actually associate it with leaves (in fact, I had just never given it a thought). So when my mum once served me spinach leaves as a whole, I was deeply disappointed and did not even recognize the dish as "real" spinach.
In the meantime I have become to like spinach leaves, but only since I moved to Japan has it become a regular guest in my fridge. I am just particularly fond of spinach in combination with Japanese tastes and spices! Steamed in sake and soy sauce or seasoned with sesame it is really delicious…
In this case I first steamed it, and then marinated it in a creamy sesame dressing. I had eaten a similar dish quite a few times before in a Japanese restaurant back in Munich, and now I finally figured out that the essential ingredient responsible for the creamy texture of the salad must be sesame paste, which is very commonly used here. (If you cannot find sesame paste, substitute it with finely ground, roasted sesame seeds; if you do not buy them ground already, use a mortar. You can also add a bit more of the dark sesame oil.)
So in my attempt to replicate the yummy dressing I remembered from the restaurant, I mixed the sesame paste together with several other ingredients I imagined would match in my usual manner, i.e. eye-measured and without specific recipe. It turned out very tasty indeed, but was far too much for the spinach I had made. This is how the grated raw carrots came into play; And what was meant as an emergency measure to absorb the excess marinade actually turned out to be a very distinctive feature, giving the dish a really refreshing taste!
Spinach and Carrot Salad with Sesame Dressing
| serves 4 |
| 250g spinach leaves |
| 100g shiitake mushrooms |
| 1 large carrot |
| 2 spring onions |
| 1 clove of garlic |
| 2-3 tablespoons of sesame paste |
| 2 teaspoons of black sesame seeds |
| 40ml mirin |
| soy sauce to taste |
| a little dash of dark sesame oil |
for steaming spinach and shiitake |
| approx. 200ml (cooking) sake |
| approx. 100ml soy sauce |
| some water |
In a steaming pot, heat a mixture of sake, soy sauce and water. Wash the spinach and the mushrooms and very finely slice or dice the latter ones. Put the vegetables in the steaming pot’s basket and place it above the steaming mixture. Season with some salt as well as the mashed clove of garlic, cover the pot with a lid and let it steam for about 20 minutes. If you do not have a steaming pot or similar, just cover the vegetables with sake and soy sauce and let them simmer until soft.
When done, drain the vegetables in a sieve to remove any excess liquid. Grate the carrot with the fine part of the grater and chop the spring onions into small slices. Add both the carrots and the spring onions to the steamed spinach without further cooking.
In a bowl, mix the mirin, the sesame seeds and the sesame paste. Stir well until the latter has completely dissolved, then season to taste with some soy sauce and a pinch of powdered ginger.
Combine the vegetables with the marinade and arrange in small bowls. Top with a little dash of sesame oil and, if you wish, with some diced carrots for decoration.