Aussies love this dish served in most Japanese restaurants. Ohitashi literally means something that is soaked or drenched in liquid. The fun is watching the bonito flakes curl and writhe when you place it on top of the spinach.

Recipe:

Parboil 1 bunch of spinach and refresh in cold running water. Squeeze out excess moisture. Don't leave to soak in cold water as the spinach will get soggy and the colour not as fresh.

Chop into 3cm lengths. Arrange on a plate in neat piles. You can lay the spinach flat like the picture on the right, but we like to arrange the spinach vertically, which means you have to cut the spinach all the same length and squeeze them tight to create an upstanding bunch.

Mix togther soy sauce , a little mirin and dashi (bonito stock) drizzle onto the spinach. Experiment yourself with the proportions of the ingredients to create your own distinctive signature. Add the sauce just before serving to get that fresh, crispy fiinish. Finally, sprinkle on lots of bonito flakes. For a special touch, bring on some toasted sesame seeds.