You will love this Korean spinach side dish, because it is easy to make, and the subtle flavour pairs well with just about any meal.
This spinach side dish is my go-to spinach recipe at home. In Asian culture, we rarely eat our vegetables raw. For me, it is completely normal to have blanched spinach in salads and cold appetizers. We also believe that blanched spinach is healthier and more nutritious. Although this spinach side dish is well known as a Korean recipe, we also make similar blanched spinach salads in Chinese cooking in various ways. You can even try this simple combination of flavours using other green vegetables. Watch the video below for how to make this spinach side dish.
Korean Spinach Side Dish Ingredients
- Spinach
- Salt
- Garlic
- Sesame Oil
- Sesame Seeds
- Green Onion
Special Dietary Notes
With so many people having dietary restrictions, it’s really nice to be able to serve something that pleases everyone. This spinach side dish is gluten-free, vegan, nut-free, soy-free, dairy-free, paleo, whole 30, and keto.
Why Should I Blanch The Spinach?
In Asian culture, we almost always cook our spinach. Spinach is one of the high oxalate foods, but cooking spinach can reduce the oxalate amount. Blanching spinach and then discarding the water is the most effective way to reduce oxalate, more than other methods such as steaming and sautéing. Oxalate is considered an anti-nutrient, by making minerals less available to our bodies when binding with them. When oxalate and calcium bind together, they form calcium oxalate crystals, which is the main cause of kidney stones and reason that we should avoid eating high amount of oxalate.
I am a firm believer that we should use smart cooking methods to maximize nutrition of our foods, rather than avoiding high oxalate vegetables altogether and missing out on the benefits of those vegetables.
Now that you have blanched your spinach, you can use them in another beloved recipe of mine. Try the elegant baked sole flowers in coconut pea puree, I think you will like them!
Related: More Tasty Salads and Side Dishes You Will Love
- Roasted Cauliflower Salad in Turmeric Dressing (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Paleo)
- Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim)
- Smacked Cucumber Salad
- Instant Pot Russian Vinaigrette Salad (Vegan, Paleo, Probiotic)
- Instant Pot Beets Salad (Paleo, Whole 30, Vegan)
- Cucumber Wakame Salad
- Warm Brussels Sprout Salad in Miso Dressing
- Tahini Lime Dressing + Sprouted Salad
- Purple Cabbage & Jicama Slaw
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Korean Spinach Side Dish
Ingredients
- 1 pound spinach
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon chopped green onion
Instructions
- Rinse and remove the roots of the spinach. Cut the spinach stems and leaves into 2-inch segments.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the spinach into the boiling water, and cook the spinach for 1 to 2 minutes, until the spinach is no longer crunchy but not too soft to break apart. Younger spinach requires less cooking time.
- Strain the spinach through a colander and rinse the spinach to cool it down. Squeeze out the water from the spinach.
- Add the spinach, garlic, salt, sesame oil, sesame seeds and green onion into a medium bowl. Mix everything together.
- Serve immediately, or store the dish in a sealed container in the fridge to eat within 3 days.
Video
Nutrition
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