Japanese Spinach Sesame Salad Goma Ae

Why This Recipe Works?

Boiling the spinach root-on makes it easier to chop the spinach into even lengths. Like any dish with only a few ingredients, it’s important to use the highest quality ones you can find, particularly the sesame. The key is to add a ton of freshly ground sesame seeds. This not only increases the nutritional value it also adds a marvelous creamy, nutty flavor.

Ingredients for Goma Ae

Spinach - I’ve used spinach for this, but Goma Ae can be made with a large variety of vegetables, including Swiss chard, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, and even carrots. Sesame Seeds - As the name of the dish suggests, this is the most important ingredient. As such, it’s worth taking the time to find high-quality toasted sesame seeds. There are two types of sesame seeds sold in stores: hulled and unhulled. Most of the ones I’ve seen in Western and Middle-Eastern grocery stores are hulled, meaning the outer layer or seed coat has been removed. They are easily identifiable because they are relatively flat and translucent in appearance. In Japanese cuisine, sesame seeds are used with the seed coat intact, which gives them more flavor and a poppy texture. They tend to be larger, plumper, and opaque and come in different colors such as white, black, and gold. I’ve used golden sesame seeds this time as I think they have a nuttier flavor than the white ones, but any color will work. Like spices, sesame seeds lose their fragrance over time, and the oils can go rancid, so I always buy them in small bags and use them as quickly as possible. A pack of sesame seeds should be very nutty and fragrant when you open it. If they don’t smell like much of anything, you may be able to revive them by toasting them in a dry pan over medium heat until they start to crackle. You’ll need to keep them swirling around the pan constantly to keep them from burning. Keep in mind this won’t fix sesame seeds that have gone rancid, which should be discarded. Soy Sauce - The soy sauce is here to season the dish as well as to provide umami. I went a little light on the seasoning for this so it can be enjoyed without anything else, but if you plan to pack it into a bento box lunch or want to have this over rice, you may want to add an extra ½ teaspoon. Sugar - The sugar balances out the salt while mellowing out the bitterness from the spinach and sesame seeds. I used evaporated cane juice for this, but any type of sugar will work.

How to Make Goma Ae

Wash the spinach. Spinach is grown in sandy soil, which tends to get trapped where the leaves come together at the roots, so it’s important to wash thoroughly between the leaves. I like to wash it in a large bowl of water because the sand is heavy and will settle to the bottom. This allows you to pull the spinach out of the water without having the sand you just washed out settle on the leaves again. Boil the spinach in a large pot of water by submerging the stems and roots first and then pressing the leaves in as the stems wilt. This ensures it cooks evenly. When the water comes back to a rolling boil, the spinach should be done. Drain it and chill with cold water. If you’ve left the roots on, you should be able to use them to lift the spinach out of the water, with the leaves all going in the same direction. Squeeze excess water out of the spinach and then cut the spinach into 2-inch lengths. You can discard the roots if you want, but I like using them as a garnish as they have a nice color and tend to be sweet. To make the sesame dressing, you’ll need to grind the toasted sesame seeds. I usually use a stone mortar and pestle, but a traditional ribbed Japanese one, a clean coffee grinder, food processor, or blender will all work. If you use a machine, be careful not to overdo it, or you’ll end up with tahini. The ground sesame seeds should look like damp sand. Then you want to mix the ground sesame seeds with the soy sauce and sugar until it forms a crumbly paste. Now you just need to mix the spinach and sesame sauce to complete your Goma Ae. Once the components are mixed together, I usually like to let it rest for at least fifteen minutes. This gives the flavors a chance to mingle, and the moisture from the spinach hydrates the sesame, giving it a creamy taste.