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Super quick and nutritious Gomaae Japanese Spinach Salad with roasted sesame dressing (Goma dressing) that will pair beautifully with any main dishes. It makes minute to cook, and is a great way to incorporate a vast volume of leafy greens into a meal without even realizing it!
Gomaae Japanese Spinach Salad
This is part II of a three part Paleo Asian Side Dish series. For part I we made one of my favorite Chinese chilled appetizers – Garlicky Smashed Cucumbers. In this post, I will show you how to make a popular Japanese side dish – Gomaae Japanese Spinach Salad – from my Cookbook Asian Paleo.
Goma-ae (胡麻和え) or Gomae. Goma means sesame and Ae means sauce in Japanese. It’s made with vegetables and sesame dressing. The most common version in the west is in the form of spinach salad.
This chilled Japanese Spinach Goma takes merely minutes to cook. The only time you need is probably waiting for the water to boil! Nate and I enjoy this Japanese Spinach side dish so much it becomes one of our must-have items whenever we visit Japanese restaurants!
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Creamy Roasted Sesame Dressing or Sesame Tahini Dressing
My Japanese Spinach Salad comes with two dressings for your to pick-and-choose. The roasted sesame dressing is creamy, rich, and nutty delicious; the sesame tahini has a lighter texture and with no mayo so feel free to pick-and-choose or try both!
Nutritious Spinach – So GOOD for you!
Part of the reasons I prefer to make this Gomaae Japanese Spinach at home because the restaurants never give me big portion that satisfy my spinach jones. Spinach wilts fast and this chilled appetizer goes well with so many dishes so be sure to grab a large bundle. Trust me, if you are a spinach lover, you won’t be able to resist not eating this dish right away!
Spinach is low in calories and packs with vitamins C, A, iron, and minerals. It’s easy to find and great for our skin, hair, and bone health. Time to eat more spinach!
The spinach bundles you find in Asian grocery stores have slightly sturdier texture than the ones you find in western markets. Quickly blanch them for 10 seconds is more than enough. Just please make sure to plunge them in cold water to stop cooking and gently squeeze the spinach to remove water before mixing with the salad dressing.
Pair this Gomaae Japanese Spinach with –
- Paleo sweet and sour chicken
- Paleo cashew nut chicken
- Paleo chicken katsu
- Paleo Mongolian Beef
- Paleo Beef and Broccoli
- Stir-Fried Beef in Oyster Sauce
- More fantastic main dishes here
If you give this dish a try (or any other recipes on my blog), please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Your comments will help me and my blog tremendously so I can continue dishing out awesome and free content for you! Thanks in advance!
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Gomaae Japanese Spinach Salad
Video
Ingredients
- Coarse salt
- 1 large bundle Fresh spinach
- Toasted sesame seeds optional
Creamy roasted sesame dressing (with mayo) – Dressing Choice 1
Sesame Sauce (without mayo) – Dressing Choice 2
- 1.5 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 small clove garlic grated
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Season the water with a pinch of salt.
- In the meantime, prepare the sesame sauce: Mix together the sauce ingredients with 1 ½ tablespoons water (add more for a thinner saucin a small bowl and set aside.
- Rinse the spinach. roughly cut the whole bunch of spinach into three to four large sections.
- Quickly blanch the spinach in the boiling water for 10 to 15 seconds. drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and preserve the vibrant color.
- Gently squeeze the spinach with your hands to remove all of the excess water. Place the spinach in a serving bowl. drizzle with the sesame sauce and give the spinach a quick toss. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds before serving, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Healthy and Easy Side Dishes/Salads Here:
- Paleo Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad
- Korean Chilled Zucchini Sides
- Bok Choy Dim Sum
- Paleo Asian Coleslaw
- Grilled Peach Avocado Salad
- More side dishes here
Super yum!
Thank you so much!
I think this is the first time ever that I take the time to review a recipe, but this was SO GOOD!!!!! I just had to! THANK YOU SO SO MUCH! I’ve been trying endless recipes trying to get the flavors right and it hadn’t happened for me until now. ♥️