Gomaae Spinach

I love spinach almost any way that you cook it. Even raw. Especially raw. Cooking it gomaae -style adds a sweetness to the spinach that you don't normally find in American cuisine. Gomaae is the way that the sauce is prepared and can be used in other dishes.

Gomaae Spinach

1 lb. fresh spinach, washed
4 tablespoon black sesame seeds
2 tablespoon sake
2 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

Set a large pot of water to boil. Add spinach and boil for about one minute. Drain and soak the spinach in water until cool. Drain again then squeeze the spinach to remove the excess liquid. Cut spinach into about 2-inch lengths and set aside.

Put sesame seeds in a suribachi (Japanese mortar) and grind them with a surikogi pestle. Or, place sesame seeds in a blender or food processor and grind until smooth. Add sugar and mix well. Add soy sauce and sake to the mix and blend well. Dress boiled spinach with the sesame sauce.

***Even though it looks like a lot of spinach, the vegetable cooks down drastically. It only makes about 4 side dish servings.