Goma Ae (Japanese Spinach Salad)

Goma Ae

I love Japanese food. One of my favourite dishes of all time that I get every time I go for sushi is Goma Ae. It's a very simple salad and it's refreshing and light. A good friend came over last night and, being in an entertaining mood, I decided to take my first crack at Goma Ae. After doing some research online, I found that there were hundreds of ways to prepare this dish. Perfect, I thought. I can make my own version of Goma Ae and not feel bad about switching up a few ingredients. Without further ado... the recipe. Serves 3-4.

Ingredients

1 lb baby spinach

2 tbsp mirin (rice cooking wine)

1 1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 tbsp sesame seeds

2 tbsp soy sauce (I prefer dark mushroom soy sauce)

1 tsp sugar

Directions

1) Start by boiling a large pot of water. Once water is at a rolling boil, place spinach in water and stir until wilted (approximately 2 minutes). Strain the spinach well and place in a bowl and cool it in the refrigerator.

2) While the spinach is cooling, put sesame seeds into a dry frying pan. Heat on high and continue flipping and stirring the sesame seeds until the majority have turned light brown (Be careful not to burn them). Once toasted, place into a ramekin or bowl and set aside.

3) Once the spinach is chilled, remove from fridge, strain out the remaining water (you may need to squeeze the spinach with your hand) and put all the ingredients into the bowl and stir well.

4) Enjoy


So, there you have it. Goma Ae. Light, nutritious, refreshing and a perfect start to any meal (not just Japanese meals). I hope you give this one a try.


Cheers!!