There’s a reason this popular Korean street food has since become a staple in households across the world, Korean chicken skewers make a delicious and flavorful dinner, a surprising starter or an intriguing upgrade to your traditional BBQ fare… I know my recipe repertoire was forever changed when I came across these tiny little bamboo-skewered flavour bombs.
I discovered these Korean-style skewers when I was working at the magazine. I’m still not entirely sure what inspired me to try this particular recipe, but I do know that at this point in my life, I’d already decided I was going to have a lifelong love affair with gojuchang paste. (Intrigued? More information to follow!) So, when I saw it was one of the ingredients, I knew I just had to try them. And boy, was I on to a winner! Packed to the bring full of flavour they were the skewers I’d been missing all my life.
The most beautiful part of this recipe however, is that they were the first cook-along content I ever posted on the magazine’s socials… and without even thinking, they’ve been the first recipe I actually loaded up onto this blog. Serendipitous perhaps, but also probably on some subconscious level, more important than I knew; they were also the first recipe I shared into the social media ether that a stranger made, and gave me wonderful feedback about… and I wasn’t even supposed to be one of the cooks, but I’m realising now it must have caused more of a spark than I thought.
So with a write-up like that, it would almost appear you’re not allowed to try them and not fall in love with them, or I might cry or something. But no so my friend, I yield no control over what you and your fabulous taste buds get up to. I will challenge you with this however, try and find a more flavoursome skewer outside of a Korean BBQ… or actually Korea… I really think you’ll struggle to.
These nasturtium pesto zoodles are made with a unique twist on traditional pesto. Made with peppery nasturtium leaves, garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese, it has a bright and slightly spicy taste. It’s also incredibly versatile and can be used in a variety of dishes, from pasta to sandwiches to roasted vegetables.
Given my foraging past, I’ve made nasturtium pesto every which way that you can imagine; but for this recipe, I took inspiration from some incredibly lovely Irish food bloggers Ireland “The Gastro Gays” and decided to use raw pistachio nuts – which are, in my opinion, a very under-utilized nut in the non-middle eastern culinary world.
A pesto experience to remember
Combined with the umami flavours in white miso, I consider this pesto to be one of the most elevated I’ve been able to create from the humble nasturtium leaves I love so much. And you can better believe it’s a plant I love for all of its versatile uses, including being super easy to grow, abundant in it’s produce and a peppery flavour that you just can’t reproduce.
A dinner fit for an evening full of sunshine… Nasturtium pistachio pesto courgette noodles. As pretty as a picture, deliciously different and tasty to boot!
Me when I first discovered this recipe!
Take a walk amongst the nasturtiums
There are many reasons to fall in love with this incredible plant, if you are a gardener then you’ll probably already know it well. Not only does it grow uniquely flavoured edible leaves extremely prolifically, it also produces beautiful edible flowers in a variety of colours. Whether you grow it as a ground cover, a source of leafy greens or as a farm to table source of beautiful garnishes… it’s certainly a plant i’d recommend adding to any home veggie patch.
When to Harvest: As soon as it makes leaves you can basically start harvesting, and unlike other leafy greens, the taste doesn’t intensify or turn more bitter as it ages and gets bigger – it does get slightly tougher however. The flowers of course should be harvested when they appear and at your fancy.
Cooking with it: I use pretty much all of the nasturtium plant, the young tender leaves in salads & sandwiches for a peppery bite, and the larger older leaves for pickling and pestos. I use the flowers in salads and even dehydrate them to soak in oil for salad dressings. The firey seeds can be enjoyed raw or cooked and pickled to form a caper-like substitute. Nasturtiums pair well with ricotta and cottage cheese.
Alternative uses for nasturtium pesto
I made this recipe to be specifically fit for a Summer’s evening, having stumbled upon a patch of nastirtiums and felt inspired for the first time in a long time to harvest from my surrounds. It was hot (by Irish standards) and I wanted to eat something that didn’t make me feel over-full or weighed down. So I went the zucchini noodle route; but let’s be honest, I also had an abandoned spiraliser that had been sitting in the cupboard for years that my partner was adamant I’ll never use… so I also felt it important and appropriate to make sure to prove him wrong. *laughing face emoji*
But this pesto is nothing more than a beautifully tasty spoonful… and because of that it actually has a mirad of applications if you feel like experimenting.
Bog standard pasta: Pesto and pasta, it’s a no brainer, but interesting twist here, firey nastirutium actually pairs extremely well with seafood, so consider adding it to a peppery butter and grilled prawn pasta or think anchovies and gnocchetti… still interesting, certainly different but definitely a more filling affair than a bunch of airy spiralised courgettes.
Roasted vegetables: Simply roast your faves, especially potatoes or anything from the realm of the Mediterranean and toss with a good coating of fresh pesto whilst still warm. Top with some feta and toasted nuts and Bellissima will be the word!
From the ocean: As I mentioned before, nastirtium are renowned for their perfect paring with all things sea-derived, you may even choose to add a small touch of powdered kelp or fish flakes to your pesto to prepare and even more pescalicious creation. I’d happily dollop a teaspoon of this pesto on a pan grilled fillet of cod or baramundi and similarly I’d expect to see this on a plate of garlic prawns or charred octopus as well.
Do’s and don’ts of zoodle making
There really isn’t a lot to it, but there are some things that I’ve picked up in the few times that I’ve made them. I know I said I’d abandoned my spiraliser, but, I actually felt a bit more inspired after making this dish to see what else I could create with them. I also went Keto for 6 months too just after this, so these noodle substitutes because invaluable to me then too!
Fresh is best. Make your zoodles at the time you’d like to serve them. You really can’t make zoodles ahead of time, the water content of the zucchini means that within around 30 minutes you’re going to find that you get a soggy bowlful of what used to be a crunchy and refreshing noodle substitute… and nobody likes a floppy noodle!
Don’t be salty! For the same reasons as above, don’t salt your zoodles directly, try to add the seasoning to the sauce so it’s not in direct contact with the zucchini.
My partner won’t let me buy another kitchen gadget. Not allowed to purchase a spiraliser? Or just got too much kitchen tech taking up space? Never fear, with a small amount of patience you can scrape your way into a very similar experience – enter zettuchini – life fettuccini but made with zucchini – simply use a vegetable peeler and peel yourself a bowlful.
A note on ingredients
There’s not a lot to this recipe in terms of preparation but there are a few tips and tricks that will make sure you have a fresh, crunchy and vibrant experience in every mouthful.
Pistachios: These days it’s easier to find raw shelled pistachios but just in case you’re wondering, don’t use the roasted salted ones, and definitely don’t attempt this recipe with the shelled version, otherwise it will take you two days to make a dish that is designed to be super quick and simple to prepare.
Parmesan: I have a feeling that there might be even better suited strong flavoured hard cheeses that would elevate this dish even further – perhaps a manchego or a really aged comte – but I’ve not had enough experience with the dish to experiment that far. I would love to hear from you guys if you do though!
A dinner fit for an evening full of sunshine… Nasturtium pistachio pesto courgette noodles. As pretty as a picture, deliciously different and tasty to boot!
Ingredients
For the pesto
1/2cuppistachios(raw)
2cupsnasturtium leaves(packed cups)
1tspwhite miso
1clovegarlic(peeled)
3tbspolive oil(extra virgin)
2tbspparmesan cheese(grated)
For the zoodles
2largezucchinis(spiralized)
Instructions
For the pesto: Add to food processor and blend to your liking.
For the assembly: Simply stir the pesto through the zucchini noodles and serve with a shaving of parmesan and extra pistachios on top.
