Japanese Sesame Spinach Recipes

JAPANESE SPINACH WITH SWEET SESAME SEEDS

Steps:

• Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the spinach 3 to 4 cups at a time. Cook and stir to wilt, then add more spinach.
• Grind the sesame seeds into fine crumbs using a mortar and pestle. When spinach is wilted, move it to the sides of the pan and sprinkle sugar in the center. When the sugar melts, stir in the spinach to coat.
• Transfer spinach to a serving plate and sprinkle ground sesame seeds on top.

ASIAN SAUTEED SPINACH

Steps:

• Heat vegetable oil and sesame oil in a large pan.
• Add garlic and cook briefly.
• Add spinach and cook until the spinach is mostly wilted.
• Add soy sauce to taste and continue cooking just until the spinach has all wilted.
• Serve immediately.

SESAME SPINACH

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to the boil and fill a large bowl with cold water and a handful of ice. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together the sesame oil, soy sauce, sesame seeds, vinegar, sugar, garlic and pepper to taste, until the sugar has dissolved. Set the dressing aside.
• Blanch the spinach in the boiling water until just wilted, then scoop straight into the cold water. Drain well and squeeze out any excess water. Gently loosen the clumps of spinach with your fingers, transfer to the bowl of sesame dressing and toss together. Cover and chill for about 1 hr to let the flavours mingle.

JAPANESE-STYLE SPINACH, WITH SESAME SEEDS

Steps:

• Toast sesame seeds by placing them in a pan in a 300-degree oven for about 10 minutes, until lightly brown. Set aside.
• Thoroughly wash spinach, dry it and remove stems. Coarsely chop.
• Heat peanut oil in a large skillet, add spinach and cook, stirring, from three to five minutes, until the moisture has evaporated from the pan and the spinach has just wilted.
• Spoon spinach into a serving dish, toss with sesame oil and soy sauce and serve sprinkled with sesame seed.

JAPANESE SESAME SPINACH

Steps:

• Clean the spinach and remove any tough stems. Shake off excess water and place in a pot. Set aside.
• In a dry skillet, roast the sesame seeds for a couple of minutes until fragrant and golden. DO NOT burn them!
• Combine sugar and soy sauce. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the sesame seeds.
• Place spinach on high heat and steam for 2-3 minutes until wilted. Drain if necessary. Toss with soy-sesame mixture and serve.

SPINACH WITH SESAME SHOYU DRESSING

Steps:

• Rinse spinach and drain lightly. With water still clinging to leaves, cook in 3 batches in an 8-quart pot over moderately high heat, covered, turning occasionally with tongs, until wilted and bright green, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Transfer as cooked to a colander, then rinse under cold water until cool and drain well. Squeeze small handfuls of spinach to remove as much moisture as possible, then in 3 batches wrap spinach in several layers of paper towels and squeeze to remove even more moisture. Coarsely chop spinach.
• On a 16-inch sheet of plastic wrap, form half of spinach into a 13 1/2- by 1 1/2-inch log. Repeat with remaining spinach on another sheet of plastic wrap. Use plastic wrap and your hands to roll, compact, and smooth sides of logs. Remove and discard plastic wrap. With a sharp knife, cut each spinach log crosswise into 9 (1 1/2-inch) pieces (18 total), then arrange, cut sides up, on a platter, reshaping and smoothing mounds with your fingers.
• Finely grind 2 teaspoons sesame seeds in a blender, then add peanut oil, vinegar, mirin, shoyu, sesame oil, and salt and blend until combined well. Spoon 1 teaspoon dressing over each spinach mound, stirring dressing occasionally (it will separate as it stands), and sprinkle mounds with remaining 4 teaspoons sesame seeds.