Horenso no shira ae（ほうれん草の白和え）
What kind of dish is shira ae??
This is a traditional Japanese tofu salad recipe. “Shiraae” is tofu mixed with vegetables and seasoned with sesame, sugar, and miso.
It is said that it came to be called Shiraae because it looks like it is wearing a white robe. In Japanese, white is called “shiro” and to mix is called “ae”.
Tofu is low in fat, high in protein and rich in calcium. It is a nutritious Japanese-style salad that also contains many other nutrients, as it is mixed with many vegetables.
It takes time to squeeze the water out of the tofu, but the cooking itself is easy. (If you don’t have time, you can quickly drain the water by heating the tofu in the microwave for a few minutes.)
The most popular ingredient to mix into Shiraae is spinach, but it can also be made delicious by substituting shimeji mushrooms, konnyaku, kidney beans, etc.
We recommend using mildly salty white miso for seasoning. And adding ground sesame or almond powder to this dish will greatly enhance the flavor.
This recipe use firm tofu, not silken tofu otherwise it takes a long time to drain and it becomes too soft. (*There is a theory that silken tofu was used originally.) For more information on tofu, please click here. 👉 Tofu topped with meat miso (niku miso)
NUTRITION FACTS of Horenso Shiraae (Japanese Creamy Tofu and Spinach Salad)
TOTAL NUTRITION VALUE
- 655 Calories
- Protein 38.3 g
- Total Fat 33.8 g
- Total Carbohydrates 58.0 g
- Sodium 5.1 g
INGREDIENTS for Horenso Shiraae (Japanese Creamy Tofu and Spinach Salad) (5SERVINGS)
- Firm tofu 400g
- Spinach 70g
- Carrot 50g
- Dried shiitake mushroom 8g
- ☆Light soy sauce 20g
- ☆Mirin 20g
- ☆Dashi stock granules 2g
- Ground sesame seeds 10g
- White miso 25g
- Sugar 25g
- Salt 1g
Use light soy sauce so that the tofu does not take on the color of the soy sauce.
How to make Horenso Shiraae (Japanese Creamy Tofu and Spinach Salad)
- Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in water for a few hours to soften them. I do this the day before I want to cook them and store it in the fridge.
- Wrap the tofu in paper towels
- Place a colander over a bowl and place the tofu on top of it.
- Put a weight on top of the tofu and wait a few hours for the water to drain. (Change the paper towels once while you wait. If you’re short on time, you can heat the tofu in the microwave for a few minutes.)
- Cut the spinach into 4cm lengths.
- Peel the carrots and cut them into 4cm long and 5mm wide strips.
- Squeeze the water out of the dried shiitake mushrooms, remove the stems and cut them into strips.
- Boil the spinach, carrots and shiitake mushrooms for about 2 minutes.
- Squeeze the water out of the vegetables. Be careful not to burn yourself when squeezing the vegetables.
- Mix the soy sauce, mirin, dashi stock granules and vegetables.
- Add ground sesame seeds and tofu to the tofu and mash the tofu with your hands. (I use ground sesame seeds, but if you have a mortar and pestle, grinding the sesame seeds yourself will give the Shiraae a stronger aroma and flavor. After grinding the sesame seeds, it’s a good idea to grind the tofu as well.)
- Add the sugar, white miso, and sugar to a bowl.
- Add the drained vegetables and mix.
If you leave the tofu after mixing the seasonings, the water will leave the tofu, so mix it just before eating.
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