Japan · Vegetable and Mushroom Dishes · Vegetarian
Spinach in Sesame Sauce (Goma-ae)
A classic Japanese side dish — blanched spinach tossed in a nutty sesame-soy dressing with a touch of mirin and sugar. Goma-ae (胡麻和え) means 'sesame-dressed' and is one of the most fundamental techniques in Japanese home cooking. Served chilled as a cold appetizer or side dish.
15 min 90 kcal 2 serves Easy🌿Vegetarian🇯🇵Japan★★★★★4.6· 5 reviews
Ingredients
ServingsMetric
- 200 gfresh spinach
- 1.5 tbspwhite sesame seeds
- 1 tbspsoy sauce
- ½ tspsugar
- ½ tspmirin
Method
- Blanch spinach in boiling water 30–40 seconds. Quickly transfer to cold water to stop cooking. Drain well and squeeze out excess moisture. Cut into 4–5 cm pieces.
- Toast sesame seeds in a dry pan until golden. Grind in a mortar or blender. Add soy sauce, sugar, and mirin. Mix well.
- Toss spinach with the sauce, mix gently. Chill before serving.
- Serve as a cold appetizer or side dish. Sprinkle with extra sesame seeds if desired.
FAQ
Goma-ae (胡麻和え) is a Japanese technique of dressed vegetables: blanched spinach mixed with a thick sesame sauce. It is not a salad in the Western sense — more of a chilled side dish or appetizer. Japanese cooking focuses on texture, flavor balance, and minimal heat treatment.
Rate this
Rate this recipe
Keep browsing
More dishes from the Japanese archive — picked by overlap with what you're cooking now.
Join the conversation
Comments (1)
High heat and don't crowd the pan — these two rules make or break spinach in sesame sauce. Crowded vegetables steam instead of browning. That caramelized sweetness only happens with space and heat.