Suisu chaado no gomaae / swiss chard with sesame dressing

Pleasantly colorful stems are lightly coated with coarsely ground toasted sesame seeds.

<Ingredients>

Several swiss chard leaves

For dressing
1 tbsp toasted black sesame seeds
1 tbsp mirin & sake, in combination
1 tsp soy sauce


<Directions>
1.

In mortar, grind sesame seeds halfway, and mix in mirin, sake and soy sauce. Set aside.








2.

Prepare swiss chard.

Divide stems and leaves, and separately blanch in boiling water with a pinch of salt.

Stems take longer to cook, 1 minute or so.

Leaves are done when color changes (brightens). Immediately remove from boiling water and spread on flat strainer or hold under cold running water for awhile to stop from cooking further.

(Stems are cut beforehand here, as they were too long to fit in the pot. Can be cut after blanching. Leaves are easier to handle if cut after blanching.)

Before cutting leaves, make sure to squeeze out extra water to prevent a soggy outcome.

3.

Add swiss chard to sesame dressing, and mix well.








<Notes>

• When blanching a large amount. put boiled swiss chard in a large bowl filled with cold water to cool down quickly.  
• Toast "toasted" sesame seeds for more intense aroma.
• Grind sesame seeds further to make a thicker paste. If paste becomes too thick or tastes too strong, add dashi or sake to dilute.