Pasta Ume Shiso

Instructions

1. Gather all the ingredients.
2. Cook 8 oz spaghetti in lightly salted boiling water. Boil about 1 minute less than the package instructions as we will cook the spaghetti further in the sauce. Make sure to reserve ½ cup of pasta cooking water before you drain the spaghetti into a colander.
3. Meanwhile, roll up 10–20 shiso leaves (perilla/ooba) and julienne into thin strips. Set aside for garnish.
4. Slice 2 cloves garlic and discard the bottom (root) end of 1.8 oz shimeji (brown beech) mushrooms.
5. Remove a seed from 2 pieces umeboshi (Japanese pickled plums) and discard. Then, mince the flesh into small pieces.
6. Slice 4 pieces chicken tenders diagonally into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces; I use a Japanese cutting technique called sogigiri. Season the chicken with ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
7. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour) over the chicken and coat it well with your hands.
8. Heat 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil on medium-high heat and cook the garlic until fragrant.
9. Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink. Then, add the shimeji mushrooms and cook until coated with oil.
10. Add the minced umeboshi, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and half (¼ cup) of the reserved pasta cooking water.
11. When the chicken is coated with the sauce, add the drained spaghetti to the pan.
12. Using tongs, coat the spaghetti well with the sauce. If you need more sauce, add more pasta cooking water and soy sauce and adjust the flavor. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste.
13. Garnish the Ume Shiso Pasta with julienned shiso leaves and ¼ cup shredded nori seaweed on top and serve.
14. You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for a month.