HORENSO - SPINACH

There is something about the way spinach, as side dishes, that make Japanese cuisine special. They are on most of the Kaiseki menus. We learned 2 classic recipes today, which I am sure will keep appearing at our dinners. Simple, freshness, texture, elegant and delicious .. what more do you want?  

Horenso no Goma-ae  ie with sesame sauce : 2 table spoons of ground white sesame seeds, 2 table spoons of soya sauce & 2 table spoons of sugar ... mix the ingredients with the spinach, that is it.

Horenso no Shira-ae ie with tofu dressing : 300gm soft tofu, 60gm carrots, 60gm Shimeji or other mushrooms, 2 table spoons of soya sauce, 2 table spoons of sugar, 3 table spoons of ground toasted sesame seeds ... for this one you need to weigh down the tofu x 40 minutes to get the water out, drain it and smooth it into a soft paste, then mix with the lightly cooked ingredients.