Spinach Hitashi Recipe
Spinach is a much-used vegetable in Japanese cuisine, and there are a variety of spinach-based recipes, the best known of which is undoubtedly "gomaae"! Gomaae is a Japanese spinach salad sprinkled with sesame seeds, eaten mainly as a side dish. Here, we propose a different, sesame-free, spinach-based side dish! This is a recipe for spinach hitashi.
The principle of hitashi is to soak a vegetable in a sweet and sour mixture to flavour it. This step takes place after the vegetable has been blanched in a dashi broth.
Clémence Sahuc
- Prep Time
- 30 minutes
- Servings
- 4 portions
- Category
- Savoury starter
Ingredients
- 350 g baby spinach (about 2 bunches)
- 45 cl dashi
- 3 tbsp. mirin
- 3 tbsp. usukuchi soy sauce
- Katsuobushi
Directions
- Pour the mirin into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Let it reduce for 1-2 minutes to evaporate the alcohol, until it loses its strong smell.
- Then add the dashi and usukuchi soy sauce. Bring to a gentle boil, then immediately remove from the heat.
- Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature. This step is essential to balance the flavor of the broth without making the sauce too aggressive for the spinach.
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Meanwhile, prepare a bowl of ice water to stop the spinach cooking after blanching.
- Plunge the spinach into the boiling water, holding the stems first, as they are thicker and require slightly longer cooking time than the leaves. Leave to cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until bright green.
- Drain immediately and transfer the spinach to iced water to preserve its color and stop cooking. Leave to stand in cold water for a few minutes.
- Drain the spinach and squeeze out excess water by hand. Place in a salad bowl and add about 1/4 of the hitashi sauce. Stir gently with your hands to coat the leaves and improve their texture, reducing the watery taste caused by boiling.
- Squeeze lightly again to remove excess liquid, then dip the spinach into the remaining hitashi sauce. Leave to marinate for around 20 minutes in the refrigerator, to fully absorb the aromas of the broth.
- Drain the spinach one last time and gently squeeze out any excess marinade. Cut into regular lengths of 4 to 5 cm. Arrange them harmoniously on a serving platter in small, well-aligned heaps.
- Sprinkle generously with katsuobushi, for an extra umami touch and a lovely light texture on the surface. For a more pronounced taste, lightly drizzle the spinach with a little of the remaining hitashi sauce just before serving.
