Spinach rolls and sesame sauce
Side dishes
Spinach rolls and sesame sauce
Aspargus bunches
Katsu cubes
Cheesy miso aubergine
Cabbage fritters
Oven baked tofu
Japanese salad rolls
Vegetables in the bag
Braised leeks
Sweet soy mushrooms
Sweet sake carrots
Introduction :: Soups and dashi :: Egg dishes :: Sushi :: Fast food :: Noodles and rice :: Side dishes :: Desserts
Serves 4, vegan
This very simple dish can be made even simpler if you just roll the spinach into balls with your hands instead of using the sushi mat. In the spring I sometimes use fresh hand picked nettles instead of the spinach.

Ingredients
1kg (2.2lb) fresh spinach
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 thumb fresh ginger

Sesame sauce (Goma su)
4 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)
3 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp mirin
2 teaspoons sugar
maybe a little water 		Wash the spinach and place it in a large pan. Turn up the heat and wilt the spinach until it has reduced to a pulp at the bottom of the pan. Take it off the heat and drain it.

Allow the spinach to cool and then squeeze out as much of the juice as you can with your hands or by placing a plate with a weight on the spinach whilst it is in the colander. Place it on a board and chop it up.
Place the spinach in a bowl, grate the ginger, and squeeze the juice from it over the spinach. Discard the pulp. Add the soy sauce.

Place some of the spinach mixture onto your sushi mat.
Roll the spinach as tightly as you can. Juice will run out of the spinach but don't worry. Place your spinach on a chopping board and chop into segments with a very sharp knife. Serve with the sesame sauce.
For the sesame sauce simply mix all of the ingredients together. If the sauce is too thick thin it down with a little water. This sauce will keep for weeks in the fridge.
Click for page glossary
Close X
A Sushi mat is a device for rolling sushi. It is usually made from bamboo and they are very cheap to buy. Sushi can be rolled without it but but some things like spinach or delicate things like egg rolls can't. If you can't find one locally buy one online.
Mirin is a sweetened sake with a similar taste to a sweet sherry. It is used a lot in Japanese cooking and used in many recipes in this book so it is worth seeking out a bottle. Lots of supermarkets now stock mirin and you will more than likely find it in your local Asian grocer. It can be quite expensive but no more than a good sherry.
Rice wine vinegar or rice vinegar is made from fermented rice or rice wine. The Japanese variety is colourless to light yellow and slightly milder and less acidic than Western varieties of wine vinegar. You can use Clear Chinese rice vinegar instead. On many occasions, when I have run out of rice vinegar, I have used white wine vinegar.