One of the easiest side dishes you can make to accompany your Japanese meal is Ohitashi. Today I’m sharing Okra Ohitashi (オクラのおひたし) or Japanese Okra Salad. This simple vegetable recipe is super handy when you are in need of something refreshing and wholesome to balance the dinner.
What is Ohitashi?
Ohitashi (おひたし) is a Japanese cooking method, meaning “soaking”, which is turned into a dish name. Yes, it’s like Teriyaki, a cooking method (applying glossy sauce + grill) that has been doubled as a dish name. For Ohitashi dishes, fresh ingredients are blanched quickly and soaked in a dashi-infused soy sauce-based marinade for several hours. The marinade has umami from dashi (katsuobushi & kombu dashi or vegetarian/vegan dashi), a savory taste from soy sauce, and a tinge of sweetness from mirin. If you’re looking for an interesting side dish for your Japanese-style Ichiju Sansai (1 soup 3 dishes) meal, this Okra Ohitashi will work to round things up for you.
3 Tips to Make Delicious Okra Ohitashi
1. Do not overcook the vegetables
Set a timer or pay attention to the doneness of the okra. You do not want to overcook the vegetables as they can easily lose texture and turn mushy.
2. Use an ice bath to stop cooking immediately
It might look like extra work to prepare iced water, but it’s the most efficient way to stop cooking immediately. Ice bath helps prevent the okra from turning mushy and revive the color. However, make sure to remove the okra (or other vegetables) from the water as soon as they are cool. You don’t want them to be watery or lose nutrients.
3. Squeeze water out well
You don’t want to dilute the sauce with excess moisture coming from the vegetables. Therefore, squeeze tightly to remove the water before you soak the okra or any other vegetables you use in the ohitashi marinade.
Variations of Ohitashi
With its crisp-tender and unique viscous texture, okra can make an appealing side. It is also a good source of minerals, vitamins, and fiber too! When they are in season, I like to snatch them up quickly and make ohitashi right away. While I enjoy okra, I know not everyone has the same liking for this finger-shaped vegetable. So if you are not a big fan, you can certainly use other vegetables for this ohitashi recipe. Here are some of the common ingredients used for ohitashi dishes in Japan.
Asparagus Bean sprouts Bell pepper Bitter melon (Goya) Celery Eggplant (a deep-fried version) Komatsuna Komatsuna & Aburaage Nanohaya (rapeseed flower) Napa cabbage Shungiku Shungiku & Aburaage Spinach (recipe here)
With just a handful of ingredients, the ohitashi technique is a fool-proof way to get more vegetables to the plate. Like this easy Okra Ohitashi, you will need only a few minutes to prepare your vegetable ahead of time and enjoy them on a daily basis. Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
