Asian Inspired Mustard Greens Food

CHINESE MUSTARD GREEN RECIPE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to boil. In the meantime, dice Chinese mustard greens to roughly about 1-inch sections. Rinse well. If the mustard green comes with leafy parts, separate the stems and the leaves. Prepare garlic and ginger. Set aside ready to use.
• Hot water blanch the stems with a pinch of salt for about 30 seconds. If the mustard greens come with leaves, blanch for 10 seconds. Plunge them in cold water to stop cooking. Set aside and drain well.
• In a well-heated large saute pan (or wok), add 1.5 tbsp cooking oil, saute garlic, ginger, and chilies with a pinch of salt over medium-heat for 20 seconds.
• Add blanched Chinese mustard greens and the remaining ½ tbsp cooking oil. Quickly toss and saute for 30 seconds. Season with salt to taste. The texture of the greens should be crunchy and in vibrant green color.
• Off heat, drizzle with sesame oil, if using. Serve warm or cold.

ASIAN-INSPIRED MUSTARD GREENS

Steps:

• Place the sesame seeds into a large skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir constantly until the seeds are toasted a golden brown and make a continuous crackling noise, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the seeds immediately to a bowl to stop the cooking process. Set seeds aside.
• Place sesame oil in the hot skillet, and heat until it just begins to smoke (this should happen very fast). Place mustard greens into the hot oil, and pour in water. With a spatula, gently toss the greens until they are wilted and reduced in quantity, about 2 minutes. Mix in garlic, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sake, and sugar.
• Bring the mixture to a boil, stir until sugar has dissolved, and cover the skillet. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until the greens are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. If a thicker sauce is desired, remove greens with a slotted spoon, and cook the liquid down to desired thickness; return greens to the skillet, toss in the pan juices, and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

PICKLED MUSTARD GREENS, CHINESE STYLE

Steps:

• Bring everything but the salt and mustard greens to a boil in a large pot. Turn off the heat and let it cool to room temperature. Pour everything into a vessel that you can weigh, and weigh the water plus spices in grams. Write this down.
• Wash you mustard greens well, then shake them dry and weigh them in grams. Write this down.
• When it's cool, weigh out 2 percent of the total weight of greens + water + spices in salt. Dissolve this in the liquid. If you use fine-grained salt you should have no problem. If the salt doesn't want to dissolve, stir until it does.
• NOTE: If you don't want to weigh all this out, just use the salt ratio I have in the ingredients list. It is approximately the same, but not exactly.
• Get out your fermenting crock or 5 quart-sized Mason jars with 5 narrow jelly jars to keep the greens submerged. You need this many because you will only pack the greens in 3/4 of the way into the jars -- you want at least 1 inch of brine above the level of the greens.
• Submerge the greens in the brine, using a chopstick or skewer to get rid of any air bubbles. Put the weights on the greens if you have them. If not, place the Mason jars in the sink and put the narrow jelly jars in them. The brine will overflow but the narrow jar will prevent the greens from contacting the air. Set the jars on a baking sheet and put in a cool place away from direct sunlight.
• Let them ferment at least 3 days, or longer. Mold may form eventually. This is normal. I wait until the mold cap is pretty solid, then pick it off. It's not harmful unless it's black.
• Finish by packing jars tight with the fermented greens, leaving about 1/2 inch of brine over them. Tighten the lids and put in the fridge. They will continue to ferment very slowly, so open the jars every week or two to release pressure. If you want to kill the ferment, boil the brine and cool before packing the jars the final time.

STIR-FRIED CHINESE MUSTARD GREENS (XUELIHONG)

Steps:

• Heat the oil oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the garlic and chili peppers and cook for about a minute, being sure to avoid burning the garlic.
• Now add the mustard greens, turning the heat up to the highest setting. Add the sugar, sesame oil, and salt (and organic chicken bouillon if using). Stir and mix everything well.
• Cover the lid, and let it cook for about 45 seconds to a minute. Now uncover, stirring the greens one more time. Plate and serve immediately!

MASALA MUSTARD GREENS PATTIES

Steps:

• Steam the mustard greens or spinach until wilted. Set aside.
• Boil the potatoes until cooked through. Mash and set aside.
• Heat the oil until it is sizzle-hot. Add the cumin seeds. When they darken a few shades, add the green onions, garlic and jalapeno slices. Now add the masala. Sauté until the garlic is golden-brown.
• Add the peas, ginger powder, mango powder and salt and pepper. Cook until the peas are heated through.
• Dump the pan's contents into a large bowl and combine with the mashed potatoes, chickpea flour and wilted greens.
• Form this batter into 2-inch size balls. (A little larger than a golf ball). Smash it into a patty. Put the breadcrumbs or white poppy seeds in a small bowl and hold the patty over the bowl while sprinkling both sides of it for a coating.
• Spray a skillet with oil (or use a dab of oil). Place the patties in pan (we do ours one at a time) and spray more oil on the top of the patty. Alternately you can use dabs of oil. Fry each side until golden brown. Done.

SOUTHERN MUSTARD GREENS

Steps:

• Place the bacon in a large, wide pot and cook over medium heat until some of the fat has rendered and the bacon is light golden, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes more. Add the mustard greens in batches, letting each batch wilt before adding the next. Add the chicken broth, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, until the greens are very tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve with hot sauce on the side.

SALMON CURRY WITH MUSTARD GREENS

Steps:

• Place mustard greens in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water. Cook 6 to 8 minutes or until tender. Drain; rinse with cold running water. Squeeze out excess moisture. Coarsely chop.
• In Dutch oven or deep saute pan, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add shallots, jalapenos, garlic and ginger; cook and stir 1 minute or until fragrant. Add coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar and hot sauce; bring to a simmer. Add salmon and tomatoes; return to a simmer. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 3 minutes. Stir in mustard greens; simmer, covered, an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until salmon just begins to flake. Serve garnished with lime wedges. Enjoy!