Japanese · side

Komatsuna no Ohitashi (Mustard Spinach Steeped in Dashi)

Komatsuna no Ohitashi (Mustard Spinach Steeped in Dashi) reads umami 7.2, salinity 6.3 and funk & ferment 3.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Japanese side, about 2 hr 27 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 7.2 · Salinity 6.3 · Funk & Ferment 3.9 · Sweetness 3.9 · Marine & Briny 2.7 · Smoke 2.7 · Richness 2.5 · Floral 1.6 · Fruity 1.6 · Nutty 1.2 · Earthy 1.0 · Sourness 0.9 · Bitterness 0.8 · Herbaceous 0.6 · Citrus 0.5

What's in it (9)

Time & effort: about 2 hr 27 min (4 min active) · effort: easy

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 1.1 kcal, 0.1 g protein, 0 g fat, 0.2 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (5 steps)

  1. Make the steeping liquid first so it has time to cool. Bring the dashi, usukuchi soy, mirin and sake to a boil, hold it 30 seconds to drive off the alcohol, then take it off the heat and cool it to room temperature. Ohitashi means steeped, and greens dropped into hot liquid keep cooking and turn olive.
  2. Bring the water to a rolling boil with the salt. Blanch the komatsuna stems-first for 60 to 90 seconds; it is sturdier than spinach and needs the extra time, but the stalks should still snap.
  3. Shock in the iced water, then gather into a bundle, squeeze once gently, and cut into 5 cm lengths. Squeeze more gently than you would for goma-ae, because here the greens are meant to drink the liquid rather than resist it.
  4. Put the komatsuna in a shallow container, pour the cooled dashi mixture over it, and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight. The greens turn from bright to deep and the liquid takes on their faint mustard bitterness.
  5. Lift the bundles out, stand them upright in small bowls, spoon over 2 tablespoons of the steeping liquid and cover the top with a small cloud of katsuobushi, which will move in the rising steam. Serve cold in summer, at room temperature in winter.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.