Shungiku, or you might be more familiar with tong ho, crown daisy, or chrysanthemum leaves.
It is the one of star vegetables in a hotpot in chilly weather, and has its subtle bitterness, herbal hint, and refreshing taste. Therefore, it can speak up own unique flavor among other vegetables in seasoned broth in hotpot, and I love it so much!
This pasta dish came up when I had some leftovers from my soup, and I wanted make a main dish which shines shungiku’s unique taste.
This pesto-like sauce uses basic pesto ingredients such as olive oil, garlic, parmesan cheese, but in place of nuts, I use miso to add richness and umami to the sauce. No nut option keeps refreshing taste of shungiku standing out more in the sauce. Blanching in salted water mellows the bitterness of shungiku, which is more pleasant in pasta sauce.
Shungiku Miso Pesto Pasta
Equipment
- Electric Blender
Ingredients
SHUNGIKU MISO PESTO SAUCE (Yield: 2/3 cup enough for 4 servings of pasta)
- 5 ounces shingiku leaves (chrysanthemum leaves)
- 1/4 cup (25 grams) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon white miso
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
PASTA
- 6 ounces dried spaghetti
- Kosher salt
GARNISH
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Shungiku, tender leaves only, lightly tossed with salt,pepper, and extra-virgin olive oil
- Burrata cheese, optional
Instructions
SHUNGIKUMISO PESTO SAUCE
- Bring a pot of generously salted water to boiling. Remove thick stems about bottom 3 inches; and you will get about 3 ounces of leaves and tender stalks.
- Add them in boiling pot; blanch them quickly for about 10 seconds or until wilted. Drain in colander; transfer to a bowl of ice water to chill. Drain well; squeeze them firmly to get rid of as much water as possible. Roughly chop.
- Place shungiku, Parmigiano-Reggiano, a garlic clove, miso, and extra-virgin olive oil in container of electric blender. Cover and process until smooth and bright green color; stop blender and scrape the side as necessary. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
PASTA
- Bring another large pot of generously salted water to boiling.
- Add the spaghetti to the boiling water; cook until al dente. Reserve some cooking liquid; drain the pasta into a bowl; add ¼ cup pesto and toss. Add one or two more tablespoons of pesto or splashes of the reserved pasta water if necessary. Serve with freshly ground black pepper and garnish with fresh shungiku leaves salad and burrata cheese if desired.
Cathy says
How much miso? It’s not listed in the ingredient list.
Misa O’Donnell says
Oh I’m sorry I missed listing a major ingredient. It’s 1 tablespoon white miso!
Cathy says
Thank you! Very delicious!
Mimi says
Made this tonight for dinner, it was so good! It was a tad bit salty, I most likely overdid it with Parmesan and garlic as I love them both a lot. I substituted the white miso for red miso as that’s what I had at home. Suggestion for those making it, be mindful that miso itself is very salty so don’t overdo it with the salt!