"Ohitashi" Serves four as a veggie course (makes 8 x 1 inch sized spinach balls)
- Richard
Ohitashi is a Japanese word that pretty much means "blanched greens with a savory sauce". Its very easy to make, especially since there are 1,001 different variations some no matter what goes wrong you can pretty much say "this is what I was going for".
Ingredients
Step 1: Make dashi (its always better fresh)
Ratio:
2 cups water
3 square inches of kombu (seedweed)
A bit of dried shitake
7 ounces dried bonito flakes
Pour cold water into a sauce pan
Add kombu and mushrooms and let sit for 30 minutes
Move sauce pan to the stove and place over medium heat
When small bubbles start to form up top around the edge, remove from heat and strain out solids
Add fish flakes.
Strain out fish either when they start to sink OR after 5 minutes (whatever come first)
Dashi keeps for a day or so and does not freeze.
Step 2:
Blanch the spinach
Shock in ice water
Step 3.
Reduce soy sauce and mirin until thick. (You're going for a thick maple syrup consistency)
Flavor with ponzu or OJ to taste.
Step 4:
Squeeze water from spinach.
Mix with soy / mirin sauce
Marinade for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours
Step 5:
Squeeze marinade from spinach and reserve
Form spinach into a series of inch sized balls and place on serving plate
Top with a couple teaspoons of marinade
Top with sesame seeds
Serve