I'm going to share with you one of our amazing vegan pasta recipes with a Japanese twist: shio koji spaghetti aglio e olio peperoncino with rape blossoms (菜の花 / nanohana).
If you have fresh rape blossoms growing in your garden, how about a quick boil with pasta for a tasty pasta lunch?
Just toss it with the shio koji (umami-flavored Japanese homemade seasoning, recipe here) peperoncino sauce, and you've got an amazingly simple yet excellent rape blossoms pasta. This is a luxurious and nutritious dish that's only available in the spring.
If you don't have any rape blossoms, no worries! You can still enjoy this dish by using another kind of vegetable you have on hand, like cabbage or broccoli.
Let's get this spring started off on the right foot with this tasty dish🌼
If you're looking for a recipe using rape blossoms, I also recommend boiled rape blossoms seasoned with soysauce and mirin (菜の花のおひたし/Nanohana no ohitashi). It's great as a side dish to refresh your palate.
Also, just so you know, all the recipes on this blog are vegan and vegetarian. I'd also recommend them for anyone interested in a plant-based diet. If you have time, please check out the other pages too🕊
Ingredients for Shio Koji Peperoncino
The ingredients are simple, but the result is delicious!
- Rape blossoms: I used Chinese cabbage rape blossoms, which are sweeter with less bitterness than other kinds.
- Cooked soybeans: You can add soybeans for more protein, but the spaghetti is also good without them. Click here to learn how to cook soybeans.
- Shio koji : Shio koji makes pasta even more delicious because of its sweetness and flavor. Here's my step-by-step guide to making shio koji at home.
- Olive oil: I like to use Extra virgin olive oil.
- Garlic : Garlic is a key ingredient in peperoncino. I add some extra garlic because I use a kind that doesn't have as strong of an taste. Some Chinese and varieties have a much stronger garlicky smell, so adjust the amount depending on the garlic you have on hand.
- Chili peppers: Take out the seeds and use it in small amounts. I usually use it more for the flavor than for the heat.
In addition to these, please prepare dried pasta and salt.
For exact amounts, please check the recipe card👇
Step by Step Guide
Let's cook the pasta and make the peperoncino sauce at the same time. This way, you can have some nice, warm fresh pasta right away.
- Prep❶: Wash and cut rape blossoms into bite-sized pieces. Finely chop the garlic, cut the chili peppers into appropriate sizes, and lightly crush the soybeans with the belly of a knife.
Prep➋: Bring a pot of water to the boil, add salt and cook the pasta. About 1 minute before boiling, add the rape blossoms and cook together.
🗝If the rape blossoms are limp, soak them in water for a while to crisp them up. It is also better to boil the rape blossoms long with the stems first and short with the tips, so that the texture would be about the same.
- Make the sauce: While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. In a frying pan, heat the olive oil, garlic, and chili peppers. Cook until the garlic is lightly browned, careful not to burn it. When browned, add the shio koji and turn off the heat.
- Add the pasta water: When the pasta water becomes cloudy, add a ladleful of the pasta cooking water to the pan. Reheat and cook until the sauce thickens.
- Toss: Once the pasta and the rape blossoms are cooked, transfer to a frying pan and toss with the sauce. Add the soybeans and mix, season with shio koji or salt to taste and serve immediately. Clean up later and enjoy while it is hot!
Tools
- frying pan
- cooking chopsticks
- pot
- colander
- kitchen knife
- cutting board
Storage
If you're keeping leftovers, put them in a storage container and refrigerate them. The next day, it'll be a bit dry, but heating it up will make it just as good. It's got a strong salty flavor, so you can also enjoy it like a pasta salad if you want.
Questions
"Rape blossom(菜の花/nanohana) " is a term used for the flower buds, buds, and young leaves of cruciferous vegetables that bloom yellow flowers. There are a bunch of different types of rape blossoms, like takana, mustard greens, asparagus greens, Chinese cabbage, mizuna, komatsuna, and broccoli.
Each vegetable has its own unique flavor, and the same goes for rape blossoms. It's interesting how they have such different tastes. If you get a chance, try out some different types of rape blossoms to find your favorite one.
It contains lots of carotene, which boosts the immune system and prevents colds, and is one of the highest in vitamin C among vegetables. In addition, it is rich in many other nutrients, including vitamins B1, B2, folic acid, calcium, iron, dietary fiber, and potassium.
Recipes with Shio Koji
Vegan recipes to use up Shio Koji:
More Pasta Recipes
Here is more recipes for vegan pasta:
Recipe Card
Rape Blossom (Nanohana) Sio Koji Spaghetti Aglio E Olio
Equipment
- frying pan
- cooking chopsticks
- pot
- colander
- kitchen knife
- cutting board
Ingredients
- 100 g rape blossoms (Increase/decrease as desired)
- 50 g soybeans (Increase/decrease as desired)
Sauce
- 2 teaspoon shio koji
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ chili pepper
- pasta water (one ladle)
Boil Pasta
- 100 g spaghetti
- 1 L water
- 8 g salt
Instructions
- Prep❶: Wash and cut rape blossoms into bite-sized pieces. Finely chop the garlic, cut the chili peppers into appropriate sizes, and lightly crush the soybeans with the belly of a knife.*If the rape blossoms are limp, soak them in water for a while to crisp them up.
- Prep➋: Bring a pot of water to the boil, add salt and cook the pasta. *About 1 minute before boiling, add the rape blossoms and cook together.*It is also better to boil the rape blossoms long with the stems first (a minute) and short with the tips(30 seconds), so that the texture would be about the same.100 g spaghetti1 L water8 g salt100 g rape blossoms
- Make the sauce: While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. In a frying pan, heat the olive oil, garlic, and chili peppers. Cook until the garlic is lightly browned, careful not to burn it. When browned, add the shio koji and turn off the heat.2 teaspoon shio koji1 tablespoon olive oil1 clove garlic½ chili pepper
- Add the pasta water: When the pasta water becomes cloudy, add a ladleful of the pasta water to the pan. Reheat and cook until the sauce thickens.pasta water
- Toss: Once the pasta and the rape blossoms are cooked, transfer to a frying pan and toss with the sauce. Add the soybeans and mix, season with shio koji or salt to taste and serve immediately. Clean up later and serve while it is hot!50 g soybeans
So, how was the recipe for "Shio Koji spaghetti aglio e olio(Peperoncino)"?
If you are looking for recipes using leftover cooked soybeans, be sure to check out our collection of recipes using soybeans 🕊
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