One of the top side dishes on my blog since I introduced the recipe in 2011 is Japanese Spinach Salad with Sesame Dressing (goma-ae or gomaae). Today, I want to share an equally delicious variation called spinach with sesame miso sauce (ほうれん草の胡麻味噌和え). Like the gomaae dish, my Spinach with Sesame Miso Sauce recipe is full of bright flavors and is not too heavy or rich. It’s so versatile, too! Now, you can alternate these two vegetable side dishes to accompany almost any delicious meal that you are cooking.
What Is Sesame Miso Sauce (Goma Miso Ae)?
The classic combination of ground sesame seeds (goma) and miso is very popular in Japanese cooking. When we make it into a sauce, we call it goma miso ae. These flavors go hand-in-hand as a simple dressing for spinach and other vegetables. Miso imparts a savory taste and depth to the sauce, giving the vegetables a serious boost. If your main dish has a lighter flavor, you can make this dressing instead of regular sesame sauce. All you need is 5 condiments plus spinach to make a memorable weeknight side dish. When you get fresh spinach from the market, definitely try this easy and delicious recipe!
Ingredients You’ll Need
kosher salt – for boiling the spinach; I use Diamond Crystal brand spinach bunch mirin – cook off the alcohol for 30 seconds (learn more below) toasted white sesame seeds miso – 味噌, the Japanese fermented soybean paste; I use Hikari Miso® Organic Koji Miso sugar soy sauce
How To Make Spinach with Sesame Miso Sauce
My Favorite Miso Brand – Hikari Miso
For this recipe, I used Hikari Miso® Maru-Yu Mutenka Yuki Miso (organic). Hikari Miso has a large collection of different types of this Japanese fermented paste. Depending on the availability at your grocery store, you’ll find many types of miso from Hikari Miso. I’ve partnered with Hikari Miso to share monthly recipes on Just One Cookbook. Personally, I’ve been using their miso for years! I first discovered the brand after I got married. It’s been fun trying out varieties of their amazing miso, as each one tastes slightly different. You can learn more about the different types on my miso pantry page.
Nikiri – Sake and Mirin For Dressings
When using mirin or sake in a recipe that doesn’t require cooking it, you may worry about the alcohol content. If so, you can cook the sake or mirin to burn off the alcohol. The Japanese cooking term for boiling down sake or mirin is nikiri (煮切り). Mirin that’s been boiled down is called nikiri mirin (煮切りみりん) and is used for dressing vegetables in particular. It’s easy to do. Simply cook mirin or sake in a small saucepan until no trace of alcohol scent remains. You could check for the smell of alcohol by wafting the steam toward your nose.
boil 1/2 cup for 1.5 minutes boil 1 tablespoon for 10 seconds (roughly)
Even if you’re not concerned about alcohol in your food, I still recommend this quick step. The flavors of some ingredients in your recipe can be very subtle and you don’t want the strong alcohol taste to interfere.
A Healthy Vegetable Side Dish For Weeknight Dinners
As a home cook, I believe we all need tried-and-true vegetable dishes to round out our weeknight dinners. It’s important for the whole family to enjoy delicious side dishes that are also healthy. This Spinach with Sesame Miso Sauce is exactly what you need! It’s chock full of nutrients and flavor. The best part is it pairs well with just about anything you’re serving. Did I mention that it keeps well in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, too? 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.
