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Nabana Pasta

You know it’s spring in Japan when the fields are ablaze with yellow canola flowers! But did you know that right before these flowers blossom, you can eat their delicious, spicy nabana stems? This quintessentially Japanese ingredient is delicious sautéed with olive oil and garlic!  

Servings

2~4

Prep Time:

10 min.

Cook for:

10 min.

Good For:

Lunch

Introduction

Nabana Pasta

It’s been so long since my last recipe but finally back to enjoying spring in the kitchen! We recently moved and we’re closer to some farms so it’s amazing to support our local farmers! 
Arguably my favorite spring vegetable is the nabana (菜花), which tastes like broccolini with a slightly spicy / bitter kick that pairs perfectly with olive oil! Nabana is the young stem of the canola plant before they blossom, and it’s high in vitamins C, B1 and B2, folic acid, calcium and iron. It can help build your body’s resistance and fend off colds and anemia. It has immunity-boosting properties and when you saute it in olive oil, it boosts absorbency of the antioxidant, beta-carotene.
My favorite way of enjoying nabana is a simple pasta! It reminds me so much of Italy (I was there during peak rabe, or broccoletti, season).
nabana pasta Meraki Japan

Ingredients

  • Nabana, a handful
  • Pasta of your choice
  • Garlic clove, 1
  • Dried chili
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
Drizzle olive oil then fry sliced garlic and chili to flavor the oil.
Add nabana and salt (not too much, as nabana absorbs salt well) and saute for around 5~8 min. at high heat. I like to saute it right before it gets too limp so that the fresh flavors stand out.
Mix in with fresh pasta, drizzle some more olive oil – and that’s it!

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