Do you know what type of recipes Just One Cookbook readers request most? They are side dishes and vegan recipes! Today, I’m happy to introduce a classic Japanese side dish with a vegan-friendly option! My recipe for Spinach Ohitashi (ほうれん草のお浸し) is a Japanese spinach salad with a savory broth. This recipe uses a simple method called ohitashi that’s of the classic Japanese cooking techniques for vegetable side dishes. I think you’ll love this dish and I can’t wait for you to try it at home.
What is Ohitashi?
Ohitashi (お浸し) refers to a dish in which vegetables are steeped in a dashi-based sauce. It’s a common Japanese cooking technique we use for preparing vegetable dishes. This method infuses the ingredients with the Japanese soup stock’s umami and subtle flavor but still retains the vegetable’s natural taste. To make ohitashi, you first blanch the vegetable, then halt the cooking in an ice bath. Afterward, allow the vegetable to absorb the dashi-based sauce. We typically serve ohitashi with a sprinkle of katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) on top. For today’s recipe, I included a vegan-friendly version:
Vegan-friendly version: Use vegan-friendly Kombu Dashi for steeping and garnish with toasted sesame seeds instead of katsuobushi. Regular version: If you prefer a more prominent dashi flavor, use Awase Dashi, a combination of both kombu and katsuobushi.
Ingredients for Spinach Ohitashi
spinach Diamond Crystal kosher salt water – or you can use awase dashi or vegan dashi and skip the kombu kombu (dried kelp) – or substitute a dashi packet or powder mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine) usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) – for garnish; skip for vegan/vegetarian toasted white sesame seeds – for garnish
How To Make Spinach Ohitashi
Spinach ohitashi keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Serve Spinach Ohitashi with Your Japanese Meal
A typical Japanese meal consists of steamed rice, miso soup, main dish, and side dishes. This set meal is called ichiju sansai (一汁三菜) and you can read more about it in my detailed post. A Japanese set meal encourages you to eat a balanced diet. You’ll find each dish presented in individual serving dishes. Side dishes are usually in a kobachi (小鉢, literally meaning “small bowl”). As a result of this attentive arrangement, we can easily control the portion of the food. Here are a few suggestions that I would serve with spinach ohitashi:
Rice
Steamed Rice Takikomi Gohan (Mixed Rice) Chestnut Rice
Miso Soup
Vegetable Miso Soup Tonjiru (Pork and Vegetable Miso Soup) Sanpeijiru (Salmon Miso Soup)
Main Dish
Eggplant Miso Dengaku Warm Mushroom Salad Mapo Tofu Grilled Mackerel Nikujaga (Meat and Pork Stew) Baked Tonkatsu Teriyaki Steak Rolls
Side Dishes
Chilled Tofu Hijiki Seaweed Salad Kinpira Renkon (Stir-Fried Lotus Root) Simmered Kabocha Kinpira Gobo (Stir-Fried Burdock Root) Spinach Gomaae (Spinach Salad with Sesame Sauce)
Ohitashi is Great for Meal Prep!
Since ohitashi is made ahead of time, it makes a perfect side dish for meal prepping. In general, you can steep the vegetables in the dashi soy broth for 3 days. If you have 20–30 minutes to spare, prepare your vegetables and let them absorb all the flavor as you store in the refrigerator. Use a clean utensil and container and put it in the refrigerator as soon as the food is cool. This allows the food to last longer. For more inspiration for make-ahead recipes, visit my Meal Prep page.
Different Vegetables To Try
You can apply the ohitashi method to almost any kind of vegetable! If you are not a fan of spinach, try:
okra eggplant boy choy other leafy greens
Okra Ohitashi Eggplant Agebitashi (variation of Ohitashi) 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. Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on January 26, 2012. It’s been updated with a new video on September 2019.
