Chrysanthemum salad is an easy, refreshing, and herbaceous dish that makes an ideal complement to any Asian meal.
Chrysanthemum Salad: Cooling, Nourishing, and Scrumptious
This salad pairs chrysanthemum greens with a dressing of typical Chinese language herbs and seasonings to make a chilly appetizer that could be a becoming counterbalance to heavier predominant dishes.
The greens have a pleasant crunch to them, and a refined taste that’s balanced in opposition to the aromatics and different components.
In addition they pack in fairly a little bit of diet, as they’re wealthy in antioxidants and fiber, so that they not solely steadiness the flavour and texture profile of the meal, in addition they present some steadiness by way of healthiness.
Chrysanthemum? Isn’t {that a} flower?
In the event you’re unfamiliar with chrysanthemum greens, they arrive from a plant within the daisy household and are loved in lots of East Asian nations, together with China, Japan, and Korea.
The greens have a beautiful serrated look and might be eaten uncooked or cooked. Their taste is grassy and mildly herbaceous/floral. They style completely different from different greens however are total fairly nice. For comparability, I’d say they’re milder than kale, so that they’re fairly versatile.
Once I’m not consuming them in salad, I prefer to get pleasure from them in hot pot and noodle soup. They’re additionally fairly tasty stir fried with garlic and seasoned with soy sauce.
Basic Chinese language Salad Dressing
The dressing for this chrysanthemum salad is an ordinary and fairly versatile mixture of components that works effectively with all types of veggies.
The sauce incorporates chinkiang vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and sugar, so it has a pleasant mix of umami, tartness, and nuttiness. The sugar is there for steadiness fairly than sweetness.
The aromatics – garlic, ginger, and chili – give the sauce a little bit of pop, however they don’t overpower something.
Scorching Dressing for Taste Growth
Whereas this dish is certainly a salad, the dressing does require a short second of warmth on the range. You’ll warmth up some oil to infuse the flavour of the garlic, ginger, and chili earlier than mixing within the sauce components and pouring it over the recent greens.
The greens will likely be very barely wilted by the warmth, however they’ll nonetheless be cool, vivid, and recent. And also you’ll have a dressing with a pleasant little bit of pop.
Fast Mains to Pair with the Chrysanthemum Salad
Given the clear taste and aromatics of the salad, you may pair it with some fairly substantial predominant dishes. In the event you’re pressed for time, listed here are some fast and attractive mains that you may whip up in half-hour or much less:
Chrysanthemum Salad
Elements
- 8 oz (220 g) chrysanthemum greens (yield about 6 oz / 170 g washed & trimmed)
Cooking
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 2 cloves garlic , chopped
- 1 ” (2.5 g) ginger , shredded
- 6 dried chilis , chopped (or 3 thai chilis, deseeded & sliced)
Directions
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Totally wash the chrysanthemum greens with operating water and let air dry. You may also use just a few layers of kitchen paper towels to pat dry. One performed, chop them into bite-size items and add to a big warmth proof bowl.
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Mix the sauce components in a small bowl and put aside.
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Warmth the oil in a small pan over low warmth and add the garlic, ginger, and chilis. Fry slowly till the garlic begins to brown flippantly.
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Pour in sauce and switch off the warmth.
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Stir the sauce into the oil briefly, then pour over the chrysanthemum leaves. Instantly toss the whole lot with a pair of tongs to evenly combine the sauce. Put aside and let the leaves wilt for about 2 minutes.
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Serve instantly as an appetizer.
Vitamin
Serving: 1serving, Energy: 59kcal, Carbohydrates: 4.4g, Protein: 1.2g, Fats: 4.2g, Saturated Fats: 0.7g, Sodium: 334mg, Potassium: 173mg, Fiber: 0.8g, Sugar: 2.3g, Calcium: 64mg, Iron: 1mg
Extra Chilly Appetizer Dishes
Lilja Walter is part of the Omnivore’s Cookbook group and labored carefully with Maggie to develop and take a look at this recipe.