Kids Web Japan

One traditional side dish is ohitashi: boiled spinach or other leafy vegetables sprinkled with dried bonito shavings and soy sauce. It's popular because it goes well with any main dish and is easy to prepare. But be careful not to pour too much soy sauce; it might be a good idea to thin it first with dashi stock and/or citrus juice. Green asparagus can also be eaten as ohitashi, though it's not a leafy vegetable.

Ingredients

spinach	300 grams
dried bonito shavings
salt

Wash spinach thoroughly, removing spoiled leaves and hard stems. Place in 2 liters of boiling water, adding a pinch of salt.

Remove immediately after the water comes to boil again, immersing in cold water. Squeeze out excess water, and cut into sections 4 to 5 centimeters long. Sprinkle bonito shavings and add soy sauce.