Ohitashi

Ohitashi is a traditional dish and a technique in which vegetables (and sometimes seafood) are boiled and immersed in a dashi-based sauce. Nowadays, the dish is usually prepared with spinach that's boiled, topped with dried bonito flakes (katsuoboshi), and dressed with soy sauce. The word ohitashi is derived from hitashi, meaning to immerse or to dunk. Once prepared, ohitashi spinach salad is usually served as a side dish with steamed rice, miso soup, tonkatsu, ot mapo tofu. If spinach is unavailable, ohitashi can also be prepared with eggplant, okra, and asparagus.