Spinach Goma Ae

With blanched spinach tossed with a nutty Japanese sesame sauce, this easy side dish comes together from just 4 ingredients.

Goma Ae is a classic Japanese side dish made with blanched spinach tossed with a nutty Japanese sesame sauce. This spinach and sesame salad is a delicious plant-based side dish that goes great with a Japanese breakfast or in a bento box lunch.

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword japanese-breakfast, kobachi, okazu, sesame

Level Beginner

Main Ingredient Grains & Seeds, Vegetable

Diet Dairy-Free, Low-Carb, Pescatarian, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 7

Cook Time 3

Total Time 10

Servings servings

Calories 99kcal

Author Marc Matsumoto

Equipment

Ingredients

175 grams spinach
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon evaporated cane sugar
1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce

Grams + US Cups - US Standard

Instructions

Set a large pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil.
Wash the 175 grams spinach thoroughly in a large bowl of water. Pay particular attention to where the stems meet the roots as these crevices tend to trap a lot of grit.
175 grams spinach
Grind the 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds using a mortar and pestle, clean coffee grinder, or food processor. It should resemble damp sand.
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Add the 1 teaspoon evaporated cane sugar and soy sauce1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce to the ground sesame seeds and stir to combine.
1 teaspoon evaporated cane sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce
Add the spinach to the boiling water with the roots and stems going in first. Once you have the spinach fully submerged, Bring the water back to a rolling boil.
When the water is boiling, drain the spinach and rinse with several changes of cold water to cool the spinach down rapidly.
Pick the spinach out of the water with the root ends so the leaves all line up. Fold the spinach in half once and squeeze any excess water out. You don't want the spinach to be soggy, but it should not be completely dry.
Spread the squeezed spinach out on a cutting board and cut it into 1 ½-inch lengths.
Toss the spinach together with the sesame seeds until they're evenly distributed. Sprinkle with additional sesame seeds and serve.

Video

Nutrition