Ingredients

• 300 g spinach
• 3 tbsp white sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
• 1 pinch salt

Method

1. 01
   Toast the sesame Put the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan over medium low heat and toast them, shaking the pan often, until they are light golden and smell nutty, about three minutes.
2. 02
   Grind the sesame While the seeds are still warm, grind them in a suribachi or mortar until most of the seeds are broken and the powder starts to look moist and clump together.
3. 03
   Make the dressing Add the sugar and the soy sauce to the ground sesame and mix until it becomes a thick, glossy paste.
4. 04
   Boil the water Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add a pinch of salt.
5. 05
   Blanch the stems Hold the spinach by the leaves and lower just the stems into the boiling water for about twenty seconds.
6. 06
   Blanch the leaves Drop the whole bunch into the water and cook for about forty seconds more, until the leaves are bright green and just wilted.
7. 07
   Shock in cold water Lift the spinach out and plunge it straight into a bowl of ice cold water, and leave it for about one minute to stop the cooking and set the colour.
8. 08
   Squeeze out the water Gather the spinach into a neat bundle with the stems lined up, and squeeze it firmly with both hands to press out as much water as you can.
9. 09
   Cut the spinach Cut the bundle crosswise into pieces about four centimetres long, then loosen the pieces with your fingers.
10. 10
    Dress and serve Add the spinach to the sesame dressing and toss gently until every piece is coated, then serve in small mounds at room temperature.