Cooked Spinach Salad With Soy And Sesame Recipes

OSHITASHI (JAPANESE SPINACH SALAD WITH ROASTED SESAME)

Steps:

• Toast the sesame seeds in a skillet until lightly colored. Cool.
• Add the spinach to a large saucepan of boiling water and cook 2 to 3 minutes until wilted.
• Have an ice bath ready.
• Drain the spinach in a colander, shock in the ice bath (to retain color of spinach), then drain again.
• Squeeze dry and place in a bowl.
• Mix the cooked spinach with the soy sauce, mirin and sesame seeds.
• Serve at room temperature.

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.

FIRECRACKER SPINACH SALAD WITH ORANGE SESAME DRESSING

Steps:

• 1. For the dressing, cook the orange juice in a saucepan until reduced by half. Combine with the honey, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, water and hot sauce in a blender. Add the shallot and ginger and process until smooth. Store in the refrigerator.
• 2. For the salad, mix the spinach, daikon sprouts, carrot and jicama in large bowl. Add the dressing and toss to coat well. Garnish with the sesame seeds.