Get Veggie Power From Goma-ae And Shira-ae!

ABC Cooking Studio, which opened its first studio in Singapore in 2015, specialises in teaching people how to prepare Japanese cuisine. In this issue, we find out how to prepare goma-ae and shira-ae.

Goma-ae and shira-ae are vegetarian dressings mixed with vegetables, and served chilled. Goma-ae is the base recipe made with sesame, and adding mashed tofu to this mix would give you shira-ae.
The recipes we’re introducing make use of various types of vegetables to show the versatility of these healthy treats. Feel free to substitute certain ingredients in the dressing too. For example, in the goma-ae recipe, some people use peanut butter as a substitute instead of traditional ingredients (sesame paste or powder) that’s harder to find in local supermarkets. Peanut butter is a good alternative as it can replicate the thick texture of sesame paste, while having a sweet and salty taste. For shira-ae, you may replace dashi powder with chicken or mushroom stock cubes. Remember to use this sparingly as cube stocks are very salty, and could overpower the dish’s fresh flavours.
Today, we’ll be using spinach as the vegetable base for our two dishes. One thing to note while cooking green, leafy vegetables is to blanche it in boiling water with a pinch of salt. This brings out its vibrant, green colour. Then, transfer the vegetables into a bowl of iced water to maintain its vibrancy. This method of cooking also retains as much nutrients in the vegetables as possible.
These healthy dishes are fast and easy to make. In fact, they only take about 5 to 10 minutes. We hope you’ll have fun making these recipes, including the ones on the following pages!

We will be using spinach for both recipes because of its high protein and fibre content. Feel free to substitute with any vegetable of your liking.

Ingredients (2 servings)
2 bundles spinach
1 tbsp salt

Preparation
Blanche spinach for one minute. Remove from boiling water and soak in iced water. Then, remove and squeeze out excess water. Cut into 5cm long sections.

Goma-ae

Ingredients (2 servings)
1 tbsp white sesame powder / ground sesame seeds
1 tbsp white sesame seeds
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp water
1⁄2 tsp dashi

Directions
1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
2. Add spinach and mix.
3. Drain excess fluids and serve on a small plate.

Shira-ae

Ingredients (2 servings)
Tofu 40g
1 tbsp white sesame powder / ground sesame seeds
1 tbsp white sesame seeds
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp water
1⁄2 tsp dashi

Directions
1. Wrap silk tofu in baking paper. Place in heat-resistant container.
Microwave at 500W for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Leave it to cool.
2. In a separate bowl, mash tofu with fork until it becomes a paste.
3. Mix tofu with ingredients.
4. Add spinach in the bowl and mix.
5. Drain excess fluids and serve on a small plate.

Watch how to make Goma-ae and Shira-ae at OISHII TV on YouTube

Green Bean Goma-ae

Ingredients (2 servings)
120g green bean
A pinch of salt
1 tbsp white sesame powder / ground sesame seeds
1 tbsp white sesame seeds
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp water
1⁄2 tsp dashi

Directions
1. Boil green beans in pot of water with pinch of salt. Drain green beans.
2. Diagonally cut green beans at 4cm lengths.
3. Mix ingredients in bowl.

Cherry Tomato and Garland Chrysanthemum Shira-ae

Ingredients (2 servings)
10 pcs cherry tomato
60g garland chrysanthemum (shungiku or tang-o)
40g silk tofu
1 tbsp white sesame powder / ground sesame seeds
1 tbsp white sesame seeds
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp water
1⁄2 tsp dashi

Directions
1. While the silk tofu is warm, mash it in a bowl until smooth.
2. Add ingredients to tofu and mix.
3. Add cherry tomatoes and garland chrysanthemum. Mix well.
4. Serve in two bowls.

(Text Matthew Fam/Recipes ABC Cooking Studio)