Chrysanthemum Greens and Tofu Salad (Shungiku Shiraae)

1. Gather all the ingredients. To store the leftover tofu, keep it in an airtight container and pour water until it covers the tofu. Keep in the refrigerator (change the water every day) and use it within a few days.

To Prepare the Tofu

1. Do not skip this step. You don’t want to drain the water from tofu completely, but it’s important to remove some moisture so the dressing doesn’t get too wet. Wrap 7 oz medium-firm tofu (momen dofu) with paper towels. Put the wrapped tofu on a tray or plate. Add another tray or plate on top of the tofu and put a heavy object on top to facilitate draining. Set aside for 20–30 minutes. Alternatively, you can microwave paper towel-wrapped tofu for 1 minute (1200W).

To Prepare the Sesame Seeds

1. Toast 4 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds in a dry frying pan, shaking the pan frequently, until they are fragrant and start to pop.
2. Transfer the to a Japanese mortar (suribachi) and grind the sesame seeds with a pestle (surikogi).

To Prepare the Chrysanthemum Greens

1. Cut off and discard the ends of ½ lb shungiku (chrysanthemum greens). Then, cut them into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces. Keep the stems and leafy parts separate.
2. Now, blanch the greens. Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Boil the stem pieces for 10–15 seconds to give them a head start on cooking.
3. Then, add the stem/leafy middle parts and continue to cook for 5 seconds.
4. Finally, add the leafy greens and submerge to cook for 5 seconds.
5. Drain or pick up the leaves quickly and shock the greens in ice water. This will bring out the bright green color and stop the leaves from cooking further.
6. Once cooled, squeeze the water out and set it aside.

To Make the Tofu Dressing

1. Remove the weight from the tofu and unwrap the paper towel.
2. Add the tofu to the sesame seeds in the mortar. Using the pestle, mash and grind the tofu until smooth.
3. Add 2 tsp miso, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp mirin, and 1 tsp soy sauce. Mix it all together until incorporated into the tofu. Taste the tofu mixture now and add ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Make sure it’s a bit more on the saltier side as adding the greens will dilute the flavor slightly.

To Assemble

1. Add the greens to the tofu mixture and combine well. Once combined, you can chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving, or serve immediately.

To Store

1. You can keep it for 24 hours in the refrigerator; however, I recommend consuming it soon.