Chrysanthemum Greens and King Trumpet Mushrooms with Grated Daikon Radish 春菊とエリンギのみぞれかけ

The vendors at local farmers markets are bringing in more and more Asian vegetables. I was pleasantry surprised when I found chrysanthemum greens. Chrysanthemum greens, or shungiku in Japanese, is a popular vegetable used in nabe, soups, and aemono. It is also used in other Asian cuisines.

Chrysanthemum greens (photo from Wikipedia) 

Daikon is also available at farmers markets usually in winter and spring. Asian markets and stores like Whole Foods sell them year-round.

Click "Read more" for the recipe in English and Japanese.

Chrysanthemum Greens and King Trumpet Mushrooms with Grated Daikon Radish 

 Ingredients

A bunch of chrysanthemum greens, washed well

1 medium carrot, peeled

1 large king trumpet mushroom

Vegetable oil for frying (about 1-2 teaspoons)*

Sesame oil for flavoring (about 1-2 teaspoons)**

Soy sauce (1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon)***

1 small daikon radish, peeled****

Rice vinegar

1. Cut chrysanthemum in about 2 inches long. I like to separate tougher stems and softer leafy part so that leaves can be added later to avoid overcooking.
2. If you love julienning, julienne a carrot after cutting it in 2-inch pieces. Alternatively, you can use a peeler and peel off 2-3 inch slices. 
3. Cut a king trumpet mushroom in 2-inch pieces and julienne. 
4. In a saute pan or frying pan, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the chrysanthemum stems, mushrooms, and carrots. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushroom pieces and stems are start to get tender.
5. Add leafy portion of chrysanthemum and continue cooking. When the leaves are wilted, turn off the heat. Add soy sauce (amount depends on the size of the chrysanthemum bunch**) and sesame oil. Taste to adjust the amount of condiments. Transfer to a serving dish or individual dishes and set aside.
6. Right before serving, grate the daikon. Add about 1/4 teaspoon rice vinegar to 1/4 cup grated daikon. If you are not crazy about rice vinegar, add a small amount and taste it first. Adjust the amount of daikon mixture to your taste and the amount of chrysanthemum.
7. Carefully pile the grated daikon on mushroom-green mix.

Notes

First of all, I don't like to measure my veggies, so the amount of condiments I use change with the size of the bunch, mushrooms, etc.

* Japanese food is often fried with minimal amount of oil. It is not like Chinese stir-fry which calls for a large portion of oil and super high-heat. 

** Sesame oil is not a frying oil. It burns at lower temperature than other vegetable oil, and it loses flavor at high temperature. Add sesame oil after heating process is completed.

*** It might be surprising to some soy sauce addicts out there, but small amount is really enough to bring out the great flavor of soy sauce. Again, the amount should be adjusted based on the amount of the ingredients, so add a very small amount at a time. 

**** Daikon at Asian markets are sometimes huge. Grate a small amount.

春菊とエリンギのみぞれかけ

材料
春菊　１束
人参　中１本
エリンギ　大１本　（しめじで代用可能）
植物油　（小さじ　１〜２）
ごま油　（小さじ　１〜２）
醤油（小さじ　半分〜１）
大根　小１本
酢　

1.  よく洗った春菊を５cm位の長さに切ります。茎が固い場合、葉と茎の部分を分けて別々に加えることで加熱のし過ぎを防ぎます。
2. 人参は５cmの長さに千切りにするかピーラーで削ぎます。
3. エリンギは５cmの長さの千切りにします。
4. 中火と強火の中間くらいの火加減でフライパンに植物油を加熱します。春菊の茎、エリンギ、人参を加え、茎ときのこがちょっと柔らかくなるまで炒めます。個人的に炒め過ぎは嫌いなのでシャキシャキ感が残っているくらいで次のステップに移ります。
5. 春菊の葉を加えて葉がしんなりしたらすぐ火を止めます。醤油とごま油を自分の好みと材料の量によって加えて混ぜてください。大鉢に全部盛るか小鉢に分けて盛ります。
6. 大根おろし1/4カップ(注意:私の使ってるアメリカの計量カップは日本のものより約50cc多いです)に対し酢の量は小さじ1/4くらい入れて混ぜます。好みに合わせて酢の量は調節してください。
7. 春菊とエリンギの炒め物の上に適量の６の大根おろしをのせてください。