Sesame Dressing and Spinach Gomae (Spinach in Sesame Dressing)

I actually made both of these quite a while ago, but have forgotten all about them in my draft box until recently. 




If you love the flavour of sesame, you will enjoy this Japanese sesame dressing.  It's very handy to have a bottle of this readily available in the fridge - especially if you are a big salad lover like me.

You can adapt the flavour to your personal preference - the taste ranges between the sourish end and the creamy end.  So if you like it more sour, add more vinegar.  If you prefer it to be more creamy, add more Japanese mayo.  It's that simple. 

Once you have made the sesame dressing, it's just a matter of preparing the spinach and coat it in the sesame dressing to make your homemade Spinach Gomae.  It's a popular side bento dish in most Japanese set meals.  You can even find a simpler version as part of the Korean banchan spread.


Japanese Sesame Dressing
Makes about 200ml

• 5 tbspn white sesame seeds
• 3 tbspn Japanese kewpie mayo
• 2 tbspn rice vinegar
• 1 tbspn Japanese soy sauce
• 3/4 tspn sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• pinch of salt

1.  Put the sesame seeds on a non-stick pan and gently roast them on low fire until golden brown and the seeds start to jump.  Remove from heat immediately and let it cool.

2.  Place the toasted seeds and all the other ingredients into a wet spice mill and grind until the desired texture.  Do a taste test and adjust the level of sourness or creaminess as you preferred.

3.  Pour into a clean jar and store up to 3 weeks.

Spinach Gomae

• One large bunch of baby spinach, rinsed and cut into 3 inches sections
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Boiling water
• 4 tbspn of Japanese sesame dressing
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

1.  Put a pot of water to boil.  Once it is at a rolling boil, add the pinch of salt, then add the spinach stems first, then the rest and stir for no more than 30seconds.  Drain under running cool water, and gently squeeze out the excess moisture.  

2.  Put the spinach leaves into a salad bowl and toss with the sesame dressing.   Sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds on top.  Serve warm or keep chilled in the fridge. Best consumed within 2 hours.

Sometimes I like to add some pickled vegetables on top of the spinach gomae to add a dash of colour and also it makes a nice contrasting taste to the whole thing.  You can find the recipe for my Homemade Pickle HERE