Traditionally the spinach in this dish is boiled until it's wilted, but I figured if I can make raw kale or chard into a tender raw salad, why would I need to wilt spinach? The sesame seeds are also usually toasted. This is based on a recipe from 'Japanese Cooking' by Miyoko Nishimoto Schinner.
* 2 bunches of spinach
* 1/2 cup of black or white sesame seeds
* 2 Tbs raw agave syrup
* 1/4 cup nama shoyu
In a powerful blender, food processor, clean coffee grinder or a mortar, grind/pound the sesame seeds until they're broken down. You want them to begin to look oily, but not to be so pulverised that they're turning into tahini. Place them in a large bowl and stir the agave and shoyu into them.
Wash the spinach, & tear the leaves away from the thicker stems. Tear any really large leaves into smaller pieces. Then gently massage the sesame sauce into them - you're not trying to break down the cells in the leaves like you would to tenderise a kale salad; You're just making sure that they're thoroughly covered.
Leave to marinated, anything from 1/2 an hour onwards. If you have a dehydrator, you can leave it in there to marinate & serve the salad warm. Goes great as a side dish with sushi, or even as one of the fillings. Keeps OK in the fridge for one day, but wasn't too good after two days.
