Grocery shopping has been real fun here, because besides Asian produce that are expensive (such as ginger, beansprouts, shallots, lemongrass etc.), a lot of the other produce are cheaper, fresher and/or tastier then those I have tasted in Singapore. Cherry tomatoes are 90% of the time, sweet and juicy and cost only SGD 2 per kilo; white/brown button mushrooms and Portobello mushrooms cost only SGD 7 or 8 per kilo; fresh big bunch of herbs like basil, Italian parsley, mint etc cost only SGD 1 to 2 and they are so fragrant! So sometimes I get a little way too excited sometimes and over-buy… oops!
So while Googling of ways to use up the abundant cherry tomatoes at home last week, I stumbled onto Carrian’s (Oh Sweet Basil) recipe, which looks perfect for a weeknight dinner. I didn’t have 1/2 cup of basil leaves, so I threw in whatever basil I had left. I also threw in a can of tuna (for some meat) and some mushrooms (our favourite). The resulting pasta is a cross between a tomato-based and an aglio olio, which may not score high in the looks department, but don’t judge its flavours by its looks! It was salty, sweet, umami and extremely flavourful! The combination of well-salted pasta, juicy and sweet tomatoes, chewy mushrooms, savoury tuna flakes, basil and Parmesan is so good that you definitely have to try it to believe it.
I decided to just name this dish Umami Pasta, because Umami means “pleasant savoury taste” which definitely fits the bill, and also because to call it Cherry Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Tuna, Basil & Parmesan Pasta is such a mouthful heh. Here’s how to make it!
Step-by-step Photos | |
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| 1) Cook your pasta. | 2) While the pasta is cooking, sauté the garlic. |
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| 3) Add in sliced mushrooms. | 4) Cook until mushrooms have shurnk in size. |
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| 5) Add in the tuna. | 6) And plenty of cherry tomatoes. |
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| 7) Add in a little pasta water. | 8) Squash the cherry tomatoes (be careful, the juice will spurt everywhere!) |
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| 9) Add in the drained pasta. | 10) Toss in the cheese and basil. |
Umami Pasta
INGREDIENTS
- 160 grams pasta, I used fusilli
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes, optional
- 200 grams mushrooms, sliced
- 1 can tuna in water/oil, drained (about 120-gram drained weight)
- 400 grams cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, julienned (or 1 to 2 teaspoons dried)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, more for garnish
- Freshly ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Season well with salt (1 teaspoon table salt to 1 litre of water) and add in the pasta.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add in the oil, garlic and chili flakes (if using) and sauté until garlic is fragrant. Add in the mushrooms and cook until mushrooms have shrunk in size. Add in the tuna (the tuna will break up as you squash and stir later on), cherry tomatoes and 1/4 cup of pasta water.
- Bring the mixture to a boil then turn down the heat to a simmer. Squash half of the cherry tomatoes carefully.
- By now your pasta should be al-dente, drain the pasta (reserve another 1/4 cup of pasta water) and add them into the pan with the basil leaves and cheese. Toss the pasta well, then season with black pepper and add more pasta water if needed. (Pasta should be salty enough that do not warrant additional salt, but add a little if needed.)
- Plate the pasta. Drizze a little extra virgin olive oil on top and sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
john says
i came across your recipe by typing tuna, parmesan and mushrooms into google. Mz Google earned her way today. Loving the umami and the chilli. Good work keep it up.
Christine Dufour says
Excellent recipe my friend !!!
Jasline N. says
Thank you Christine!
Sindy says
Hi Jaslin,
My 1st time visiting your site, n m so glad that I somehow managed to get here after searching for some recipes on mussels n your beer version pop up. Your recipes are so great, looks delicious , and doesn’t looks intimidating for a beginner like me. Loved your step by step photo guide, makes everything so clear n easy to fellow. 🙂 M definitely a fellower of your site now…
Jasline N. says
Hi Sindy, I’m so happy that you found me and am really glad that my step-by-step photos are useful for you! If you make any dish from my blog, let me know how it goes! Have a great weekend ahead!
Jasline N. says
Thanks Raymund, this dish won’t disappoint!
Joyce, Kitchen Flavours says
Hi Jasline,
Your pasta looks so delicious! Some of the ingredients in M’sia here is much more expensive than in S’pore! Found that out when I went to S’pore last year!
Glad to know that the fresh produce is making you happy! I would too! 🙂
Jasline N. says
Thanks Joyce! I never knew that, I thought Malaysia produce will be cheaper, because Singapore has to import most of them!
May Law says
这是我孩子们的最爱， 其实也是我的最爱， 因为它简单又容易！ 嘻嘻
Jasline N. says
别忘了也是我的最爱！ 😉
Juliana says
I love the sound of this pasta…it sure looks delicious, great meal Jasline!
Have a wonderful week 🙂
Jasline N. says
Thanks Juliana! Have a great week too!
Bam's Kitchen says
I love this little pantry item dish. We also get the little sweet Malaysian tomatoes that I love here as well. It always takes time when you move some place new to get into a different routine. Quick and easy dish and that is a very food thing for busy week day meals.
Jasline N. says
Hi Bobbi! I’m glad you manage to find sweet tomatoes in HK too! Cooking is fun but sometimes it’s a little hard to keep thinking of new recipes to try out, this is definitely going to be my desperate recipe to go to! 🙂
Nasifriet says
Ha ha … Now I see why you mentioned you had ALL the ingredients to make egg muffins “Margherita”! Btw, this pasta dish is umami-ly DELISH!
Jasline N. says
Hahah oops got caught by you 😉 Thank you!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
The title totally caught my eye because I love umami rich foods! This sounds like a great weeknight recipe 😀
Jasline N. says
Thanks Lorraine! It certainly is suitable for a lazy weeknight dinner!
Monica says
So much umami flavor in this pasta for sure! So glad you can get these delicious ingredients at reasonable prices. Having too many good cherry tomatoes is a good problem. Pasta is always a good answer and this one looks particularly flavorful!
Jasline N. says
Hi Monica, yes I’m really lucky to be blessed with such delicious food 🙂 Now I have another basket of newly bought cherry tomatoes waiting for me to use them… oops!
gloria says
I love cherry tomatoes and basil in this recipe!!
Jasline N. says
Thank you Gloria! I love them too!