Three-Color Ohitashi (Spinach, Bean Sprouts and Carrot)

三色おひたし · Sanshoku Ohitashi

By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu

Ohitashi is one of the simplest Japanese side dishes: vegetables are blanched, cooled, squeezed, and lightly dressed. This three-color version pairs green spinach and white bean sprouts with orange carrot, so it brightens up a lunch tray even before anyone takes a bite. The seasoning is just soy sauce and katsuobushi, whose savory aroma softens the slightly bitter edge of spinach that some little ones are wary of. Everything is cut short so the strands are easy to pick up with a small spoon or fork, and cooling the vegetables under running water keeps their color fresh.

Energy19.5 kcalper serving
Salt0.3 gper serving
Steps3 
AllergensNo egg, milk or wheatother allergens not checked

Wheat-free, but uses soy sauce (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow it, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels

↓ Jump to ingredients日本語で見る (Original recipe in Japanese)
Three-Color Ohitashi (Spinach, Bean Sprouts and Carrot)

Ingredients

Adults0
Children1
= 1 serving

One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.

Ingredients

  • 51 gspinach
  • 16.5 gbean sprouts
  • 10.5 gcarrot

Seasonings

  • 1.8 gsoy sauce
  • 0.9 gkatsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) (かつお削り節)
Paper-thin shavings of dried, smoked skipjack tuna that add a savory, smoky depth as a topping or stock base. Substitute: A pinch of dashi powder, or omit.

Full Japanese ingredient glossary →

Directions

  1. 1

    Cut the spinach and bean sprouts into 2 cm lengths, and cut the carrot into short, thin matchsticks.

  2. 2

    Boil each vegetable separately, then rinse under cold running water to cool.

  3. 3

    Squeeze the cooled vegetables from step 2 to remove excess water, then toss with the soy sauce and katsuobushi.

Nutrition

Per1 serving1 adult servingYour total
Energy19.5 kcal39 kcal19.5 kcal
Protein2.3 g4.5 g2.3 g
Fat0.2 g0.3 g0.2 g
Carbohydrates3.3 g6.6 g3.3 g
Fiber2 g3.9 g2 g
Salt equivalent0.3 g0.6 g0.3 g
Calcium30 mg60 mg30 mg
Iron1.2 mg2.4 mg1.2 mg
Potassium412.5 mg825 mg412.5 mg

Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.

Ingredients in this recipe

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