Vegan Crown Daisy Recipe in Tahini Sauce

Vegan Crown Daisy Recipe in Tahini Sauce

Have you ever had crown daisies (also known as chrysanthemum greens)? This delicate, herbal Asian green is a favorite of mine. This is my go-to vegan crown daisy recipe, and it only takes about 5 minutes to make! Blanched chrysanthemum greens are topped with a creamy, luscious, slightly spicy tahini sauce, and garnished with sesame seeds. Served chilled or at room temperature, it’s a perfect side dish to any meal.

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This post was updated 2/9/24, but no changes were made to the recipe.

blanched greens

Finding New Produce

I often go to the local Asian grocery store, H-Mart, to explore their large, diverse and inexpensive produce section. My local Stop & Shop will have two or three types of mushroom, but H-mart will have 10-none costing more than $4 (when I first wrote this in 2017- now in 2024 they certainly have mushrooms above the $4 mark). Occasionally I’ll find a vegetable I’ve never heard of there and take it home, hoping I’ll be able to make something delicious and new. It was through one of those experiments that I first tried crown daisies (also called chrysanthemum greens). When I got them I imagined they would be a little bitter, like dandelion or mustard greens (which I had been eating a lot). I was pleasantly surprise when I first cooked them, and learned that crown daisy was like nothing I had ever had before. Rather than being bitter, they are gentle, soft, floral, and almost herbal, but not overwhelmingly so. A great new find! A few of my other Asian grocery store finds that have become staples in my diet include persimmons, kabocha squash, pomelos, and stem lettuce.

What is Crown Daisy?

Crown daisy is a green by many names (including chrysanthemum greens, kikuna, and crown marigold) are a nutritional powerhouse. They’re cultivated and grown in Asia, and are picked wild in Greece. Additional, they may be found growing wild in some parts of North America. Here’s something that I discovered less than a year ago, and I gotta say once I read it I was floored it hadn’t occurred to me earlier. Those fall flowers everyone is obsessed with putting on their porches, mums, are in fact chrysanthemums. Of course. Crown daisy is not actually the same plant as the autumnal porch variety, but it is a close relative.

Chrysanthemum greens are delicate and tender. They have floral notes, and remind me of some sort of herbal tea-spinach hybrid. I typically find them at Asian groceries, but you can also grown them yourself if you’re so inclined (I’m told they’re even tastier homegrown). They are often added to stews and soups, but doesn’t require much cooking to become tender. With a quick blanche in boiling water, they’re tender and soft without being mushy. Try a little before you try a lot, as it causes some peoples stomach upset. Nutritionally, they are low in calories and fats, and have high levels of antioxidents. They contain 30% more calcium per serving than bananas, and high levels of Vitamins K, A, and C, as well as good amounts of iron and manganese.

 

chrysanthemum greens in tahini sauce

Cooking with Greens? Try one of these other recipes!

Got Tahini? Try one of these recipes!

simple asian greens recipe

Making this Vegan Crown Daisy Recipe

To cook crown daisy, start by cutting them in half, separating the thicker stalks from the frond-like leaves. Get a pot of water boiling, and simply blanch the stems for about 40 seconds and the leaves for 20 seconds. Cooking quickly and then blanching in cold water makes sure that the greens are tender without becoming mushy. They sauce is made with tahini, soy sauce, and garlic chili sauce. It is strong, salty, and spicy, and seems like it will over-power your crown daisy, but I assure you it will not. The lovely soft, floral, green notes of the crown daisy somehow still shine through. Toss the cooked greens in the tahini sauce, allowing the flavors to complement each other. This tahini sauce is a great option for many different cooked greens, so feel free to experiment with other options like kale, spinach, or bok choy. To finish your dish off, add a little bit of visual interest with sesame seeds- chopped scallions or chili flakes would also be nice. Serve alongside rice, noodles, or roasted tofu. Find the full recipe below and share your feedback!

crown daisy recipe, vegan

Vegan Crown Daisy Recipe in Tahini Sauce

Crown Daisy in Tahini Sauce

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Crown Daisy in Tahini Sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch of crown daisies (also called chrysanthemum greens)
  • 2 tbsp. tahini
  • 2 tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp. chili garlic sauce
  • 1 tbsp. sesame oil
  • 1 tsp. sesame seeds

Instructions

  1. Put a medium sauce pan of water on the stove to boil. While that heats up wash the crown daisies and chop them roughly in half so that one half has the thick stems, while the other is thinner with the leaves.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the tahini, soy sauce, garlic chili sauce and sesame oil.
  3. Once the water has boiled, add the thick stems to the boiling water and quickly blanch for 30-50 seconds. Remove the stems from the pot (save the boiling water!) and let drain in a colander. In the same boiling water add the half of the greens with leaves, and allow to blanch for 15-30 seconds. Add the leafier parts of the greens to the colander, and shock with cold water to prevent any further cooking. Gently squeeze out as much water as possible and leave to drain for a few minutes.
  4. In a serving bowl toss the greens in the tahini sauce. For a finishing touch, sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for later.
https://veryveganval.com/2017/05/01/crown-daisies-in-tahini-sauce/

 

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