This Japanese Spinach Salad applies a simple method called the Ohitashi to infuse vegetables with umami and subtle flavor. It’s one of the common techniques Japanese use to prepare vegetable dishes.
Do you know what type of recipes Just One Cookbook readers request most? They are side dishes and vegan recipes! I’ve been sharing popular Japanese recipes and main dishes for many years, however, it’s time to add more sides!
Today’s recipe, Spinach Ohitashi (ほうれん草のお浸し) is a Japanese Spinach Salad with Savory Broth, and I included a vegan-friendly version!
Watch How to Make Spinach Ohitashi (Japanese Spinach Salad)
This Japanese Spinach Salad applies a simple method called the Ohitashi to infuse vegetables with umami and subtle flavor. It’s one of the common techniques Japanese use to prepare vegetable dishes.
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 dashi’s umami and subtle flavor but still retaining its natural taste.
To make ohitashi, you first blanch the vegetable, then halt the cooking in the 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 in mind.
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.
Serve Spinach Ohitashi with Your Japanese Meal
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 we have a detailed post on this topic here.
Japanese set meal encourages you to eat a balanced diet. You’ll find each dish presented in individual serving wares, and side dishes are usually in 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 (Japanese Spinach Salad):
Rice
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 requires making 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.
If you’re interested in meal prep recipes, click here for more inspiration!
Don’t like Spinach?
You can apply the Ohitashi method to almost any kind of vegetables! If you are not a fan of spinach, try other vegetables like okra, eggplant, boy choy, and other leafy greens.
Eggplant Agebitashi (variation of Ohitashi)
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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Spinach Ohitashi (Japanese Spinach Salad with Savory Broth)
Ingredients
- 1 bunch spinach (8 oz, 227 g)
- Pinch kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; use half for table salt)
Kombu Dashi (You can also use Awase Dashi (a combination of kombu + katsuobushi)
- ½ cup water
- 1 kombu (dried kelp) (5 g; 2"x 2" or 5 cm x 5 cm)
Seasonings
- 1 Tbsp mirin
- 1 Tbsp usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce
Toppings
- katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) (only for non-vegan/vegetarian)
- toasted white sesame seeds
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Make Kombu Dashi
- In a saucepan, put water and kombu.
- Slowly bring it to a boil. Once boiling, remove the kombu from the liquid (You can make Kombu Tsukudani with the used kombu). If you are not vegan/vegetarian, you can add a small amount of katsuobushi to make Awase Dashi for more flavors. Please see the instruction here. If you're using dashi powder, please read here.
To Make Savory Broth
- In Kombu Dashi, add mirin and usukuchi soy sauce.
- Mix together and once it boils, turn off the heat.
To Prepare Spinach
- Rinse the spinach and boil a large pot of water.
- When the water is boiling, add the salt and put the spinach in the pot from the stem side first because it takes longer to cook. After 15 seconds, you can push down the leafy part into the water and cook for 1 minute. (US spinach is tender than Japanese spinach, so it’ll cook faster).
- Once the spinach is cooked through, pick it up quickly, roughly less than 1 minute.
- Transfer to iced water and let it cool (but don’t leave the spinach too long as you will lose the nutrients).
- As soon as it’s cooled, collect spinach and squeeze water out. If you like to serve as I do, collect the stem and put together. I like to serve both stem and leafy parts separately instead of mixing it up together.
- Cut the spinach into 1 ½ inch lengths and squeeze the water out one more time.
- Put the spinach in the airtight container and pour the sauce over.
- Make sure the spinach is evenly distributed in the container and soak in the sauce. Put the lid on and let it soak in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (3-4 hours ideally).
To Serve
- Serve the spinach in a bowl and pour the sauce over. I like to make sure each bowl gets both spinach stem and leafy part. Love the dark and light color contrast to each other.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds for vegan/vegetarian version, and bonito flakes for non-vegan/vegetarian version.
To Store
- You can keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on January 26, 2012. It’s been updated with a new video on September 2019.
Hello! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
A few questions:
1) Can I use Chinese spinach for this recipe?
2) After soaking the spinach for a few hours, do I have to drain the spinach and change the container to store it for a few days?
Hi Adeline! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
1) Yes, you can use Chinese spinach for this recipe!
2) You do not need to drain them. Instead, you can store it together in a container for a few days.
We hope this helps!
I was wondering, when you store it, is it stored in the liquid or no liquid? I thought maybe I could meal prep this but I’m not sure if it’s better to just make the same day.
Hi Christy! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe!
The Ohitashi usually can be stored for up to 3 days if you keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. However, after a few days, the food quality would change. We recommend storing the cooked spinach and liquid/sauce separately and pour the sauce over on the serving day if you plan for meal prep. You can also freeze the cooked spinach so that you can keep them longer. https://www.justonecookbook.com/basic-freezing-techniques/
We hope this helps!
Can I use musubi nori instead of kombu? I can’t find it where I live, very small town.
Hi Lynn, The musubi nori and Kombu are different, and we don’t recommend using them for making Dashi.
How about use Shiitake to make Dashi? https://www.justonecookbook.com/shiitake-dashi/
We hope this works.
We eat this SO often. I’ve made it several times as written with great results. However, produce is not great in my town (northern rural Canada) and we only get very expensive baby spinach. So I started using kale and just cooking it a bit longer. For anyone wondering, it turns out very well also!
Do you have a sweetish dressing for the same?
Hi Anu, You may add sugar to this recipe as much as you like. We hope this helps!
can this be soaked for several days? if not being consumed for 2-3 days? I see it says it lasts up to 3 days but just want to make sure it’s safe to be soaking for that long.
Hi Helen, Thank you very much for trying this recipe. The Ohitashi usually can be stored for up to 3 days if you keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. However, after a few days, the food quality would change, so we recommend enjoying it within 2~3 days. We hope this helps!
I’m so happy to have found your site. This was delicious!! Cannot wait to try more of your recipes.
Hi Anita, We are so glad to hear you enjoyed this Spinach Salad! Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback.
Thank you for this recipe. I’m cooking for my Japanese mother-in-law. And this is one of her favs. I love it too!
Hi Carolyn! I’m so happy to hear that you and your MIL likes this recipe. Thank you for your kind feedback!
I have made this multiple times with Rainbow Chard instead of spinach. It is delicious and I really enjoy the texture of the blanched chard with the Ohitashi. Plus the stalks add some great visual color and a little bit of crunch.
Hi Lindsay! Oh yes, I love the rainbow chard ohitashi and how beautiful the color gives/adds to the dish! Thank you for sharing the idea! I’m so glad you enjoyed this dish!
Hello! I would like to try this but only have baby spinach at hand. Can I use that as an alternative?
Thank you!
Hi Karen! Yes you can use baby spinach but since they are tenderer, you may just flash blanch instead so you don’t over-cook the baby spinach. 🙂
I tried this recipe using some Komatsuna I found at the Japanese grocery, and it was delicious! It couldn’t be easier to make, although I quickly steamed my greens in the microwave instead of blanching.
Will definitely make this on a regular basis for bento. Thanks, Nami! 🙂
Hi Cameron! Awesome! Thank you for your kind feedback. I’m so glad you tried this recipe. Yes, we make ohitashi with all kinds of greens (I’m currently making it with bok choy in my fridge!). So happy you tried it with Komatsuna, one of my favorite nutritious leafy greens!
It was my first time trying komatsuna, and I loved it! It reminds me of broccoli rabe/rapini, which my Italian husband and I eat often.
Hi Cameron! I love broccoli rabe too! 🙂
Wonderful dish, tasted and looked as wonderful as advertised. Admittedly it took a very long time to organize the wilted spinach in to a bundle, but the payoff was a gorgeous presentation. Thanks Nami!
Hi Michael! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback! Haha yes, you can just get the entire thing and squeeze… but this dish is often served neatly like this, so I had to go for the classic way! Some people in Japan use a rubber band too, but I don’t want to use it to boil with food… if you can use a kitchen twine etc, it can save your time for later… 🙂
Looks fabulous!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Bev!
nice recipe
Thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
Made this recipe this weekend, and absolutely loved it! Easy to make and incredibly flavorful.
Thank you for sharing it!
Taline from Paris
Hi Taline! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your kind feedback. xo
How long ahead of time can one make this?
Hi Jennifer! You can store this for up to 2-3 days in the fridge. 🙂
Hi Nami, may I ask if it is okay to boil the kelp (to make dashi) together with Mirin and soy sauce? I made this dish a few times already but looks like I don’t remember the exact process. Thanks Nami for sharing such a wonderful recipe.
Hi Shelly! Sure! I’m glad you enjoy my recipes. Thank you for your kind comment. 🙂
Nami,
I have a question. In the stores where i live, the only types of Mirin are for cooking and are sweet. Is this normal or is Mirin suppose to not be so sweet?
Hi Kamaile! Mirin is supposed to be sweet. It’s basically sake (rice wine) and sugar. 🙂
I made this for dinner this evening to accompany Chicken Karaage. It was great! My daughter loves, loves, loves spinach.
Hi Deborah! Thank you for your kind feedback! I’m so happy to hear your daughter loved it! 🙂
Can I make this the night before and let it soak overnight of will that be bad for the dish?
Hi Courtney! Ideally 3-4 hours, and I’m afraid overnight is a bit too long which might end up with too salty. You can give it a try. Japanese dishes are usually lightly seasoned and you might be okay with overnight. It’s not for marinating meat, and it’s just spinach, so it’s not necessarily needed to be soaked for a long time. I’d probably do just 1 hour instead of overnight. 🙂
Thank you! We were going to something all day and I wanted to make some yummy bentos, so I wanted to know what things I could make the night before, but I will just save this for the morning.
Can you use the Japanese Spinach for this? Komatsuna, I think?
English spinach seems to be rare in Taipei but xiao song cai (小松菜) is really easy to get.
Hi Angelo! Yes you can use komatsuna for this. People use shungiku (春菊 or Tong Ho) too! 🙂
Thank you, good to know. Ironically I went to the supermarket yesterday and they were overflowing with not English spinach but 菠菜, which is basically the same thing.
I guess it helps to be able to read a bit of mandarin.
Hi Angelo! Haha yes, definitely!! I use Japanese (kanji) to guess what it means… 🙂
The prep time should say 3-4 hours rather than 15 min!
Hi Genie! Thank you so much for pointing that out. To keep it consistent with other recipes, I put a note saying that prep time does not include 2-3 hours of soaking time. Prep and Cook time is only for active cooking time. Thank you so much for your feedback!
I made this last night and it was as good as I hoped it would be. You really must soak the spinach as instructed. It develops so much flavor from the soaking. I’ve also made your recipe “Spinach Gomaae” and that is my husbands favorite. Very savory. Your recipes are so authentic! Thanks for sharing Nami.
Btw, your recipe for Tamagoyaki is the BEST!
Hi Esther! Thank you so much for trying this recipe as well as others. I’m glad to hear you enjoy them. 🙂 Thank you for your kind feedback! xo
Hi! Great recipe and I have been using this for my bentos for the past 2 days
I’ve added shimeji and julienned carrots to my ohitashi for more colour
Would it be better to cool the soy sauce and mirin marinade before pouring them into the veggies? This is so you avoid over cooking the spinach and having to cool the spinach + marinade before putting everything into the fridge
Hi Lisa! Thank you for pointing it out. We actually made a video and retake all the pictures for this recipe and the order is exactly how you described. I swapped the steps for now, but I’ll add new images and video soon. I’m so happy to hear you enjoy this dish! I love that you added colors too. 🙂
Hello, I love Japanese foods and I have enjoyed making Japanese foods by following your recipes here 🙂 You have such a great collection of recipes which are easy to follow!
I just have a question when making this recipe, the spinach got slimey after I blanched and squeezed the water out of it (and I hate slimey foods). Is that normal? Is there anything wrong in the cooking process like blanching it too long (I did it about 1 minute) or squeezing it too hard? Do you have any advice? Thanks alot!
Hi Hikari! Thank you so much for trying my recipes and I’m so glad to hear you like them. 🙂
When you over cook spinach, leaves become slimy and make the bitter flavor more prominent. In Japan, spinach is thicker and can’t be eaten raw so we cook longer, but here in the U.S. we just need to take it out as soon as it starts to get wilted. It depends on how much spinach you put it in the pot too (let’s say if you cook small amount, you prob don’t need 1 minute). Next time try to take it out earlier especially if you dislike the slimy spinach. Hope that helps. 🙂
Thanks so much for the advice Nami-san! I will try it next time, hope this time it will work. Please keep on posting wonderful recipes 🙂
Thank you Hikari! 🙂