Pickled Mustard Green Recipes

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.

PICKLED MUSTARD GREEN RECIPE

Steps:

• Separate the mustard green or cut into large chunks and rinse in running water. Discard any dirt leaves.
• Lay the washed mustard greens in a clean gridiron or anything similar to dry the water. Turn over several times and make sure that there is no water on the surface. I would suggest air-drying for around 12 hours until the leaves begins to wither.
• Prepare the glass gar: wash the gar with boiling water and then set aside to drain.
• Transfer the withered mustard green in a large bowl. Rub the leaves with salt until they are totally withered and begin to loose water. Transfer the mustard green leaves in the glass jar.
• Place 1 teaspoon of Sichuan peppercorn seeds and remaining salt in the jar. Pour water to soak all the leaves. Use a weigh to make sure the mustard greens are soaked in water.
• Cover the jar completely, move to shade place and wait for 7 to 15 days until the water becomes bright yellowish green (the time is based on room temperature, the warmer, the shorter).
• Taste it to see whether it is ready. The well- picked mustard green should be salty and slightly sour.

PICKLED MUSTARD GREENS STIR FRY

Steps:

• Soak 2 pieces of suan cai in water for 2-3 minutes. The soaking time depends on the brands and how salty and sour the suan cai is. If it is store bought suan cai, I normally soak it for 10-15 minutes. My homemade pickled mustard greens recipe, I just soak for around 2-3 minutes.
• Mince 3 cloves of garlic.
• Cut 3 chili peppers. (You can use less chili peppers, depending on how spicy you want. Also, if you use Thai chili pepper, I recommend only use 1.)
• Then, drain and squeeze the suan cai. Cut or dice the pickled mustard greens.
• Pour 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil into a pan, turn on fire to medium. Add the minced garlic and cut chili peppers. Stir fry them a little bit.
• Next, add the cut suan cai and 2 tablespoons of sugar (Can use less sugar, depends on your taste). Stir fry them a little bit.

PICKLED MUSTARD GREENS

Steps:

• First, put some rice in a bowl and pour some cold boiled water to wash the rice. Try to rub the rice and make milky colored water. Only need the washed rice water later.
• Wash and soak gai choi very well to remove sand and dirt. Boil a pot of water, wait until it's boiling. Then, add washed gai choi and make sure all the leaves are soaked in boiling water. Don't need to completely cook. Just soak in boiling water for a few seconds. The purpose of this is to kill bacterias and sterilize the vegetables because I washed the vegetables and did not put them under the sun.
• After that, put the boiled gai choy in a bowl to drain excess water.
• Next, rub some kosher salt on boiled gai choy. This step is very important to rub salt on every leaf.
• Next, put the salted gai choi into a glass container. Then, pour washed rice water and fill it up. Make sure the liquid covers all the vegetables. If the vegetable keeps floating up, put a small cup or sauce dish on the vegetable and put down to close the jar. Let it ferment for 21 days or 3 weeks. Put them in a shade area.

CHINESE PICKLED MUSTARD GREENS (HAAM CHOY)

Steps:

• Trim the tough base off of the mustard greens, along with any yellow or brown portions of the leaves. To remove any dirt or sand, soak them in a large bowl of water for 10 minutes. Shake the vegetables to loosen the grit. Lift the vegetables out of the dirty water and rinse. Rinse the bowl, fill with fresh water, and repeat this process two more times. This cleaning step is very important.
• In a large pot, add 10 cups (2.4 liters) of water, bring to a boil, and turn the heat down to medium low. Stir in 1 ½ tablespoons (26g) of salt, until dissolved.
• Place the mustard greens into the simmering water 1 or 2 at a time, so they're completely submerged. Blanch for 30 seconds, rotating them to evenly heat them on all sides. Lift the mustard greens out of the water and transfer to a clean sheet pan to cool.
• Next, put the sliced ginger into the blanching water and bring the water back to a simmer. Once simmering, turn off the heat, and allow the liquid to cool to room temperature.
• Once the vegetables are cool enough to handle, pour off any excess water from your sheet pan and rub salt (2 ¼ teaspoons/13g per pound of mustard greens) all over the greens, getting into the inner stems and rubbing the salt evenly across each stem/leaf until it has dissolved.
• Place into a non-reactive bowl-stainless steel, enamel, ceramic, or glass work-and pour the ginger-infused blanching liquid over the vegetables. Place a large plate on top of the vegetables with a heavy pot (or a pot filled with water) on top to press them down and keep them submerged. Allow the greens to sit in the salted water for 24 hours at room temperature, covered with a clean towel or paper.
• Disinfect the jar by first washing it thoroughly. Wash your hands, and rinse the jar with boiling water. With clean hands or tongs, lift the mustard greens out of the brine solution and let any excess liquid drain for a few seconds.
• Squeeze the vegetables tightly. This removes spaces where air bubbles can form, and also makes them more compact. Place them into the jar along with the ginger slices. Do your best to squeeze the vegetables into the jar and distribute the ginger evenly. Reserve the brine, as you will be adding it to the jar momentarily.
• Measure 1 teaspoon (6g) salt and ¾ teaspoon (3g) sugar per pound of greens, and sprinkle on top of the vegetables in the jar. Measure out 2 tablespoons (30 ml) white vinegar per pound of vegetables, and pour it over the salt and sugar in the jar.
• Next, use a clean ladle to carefully transfer the brine into the jar until it is almost full. Check for air pockets that may be trapped near the bottom of the jar. Use a chopstick to move the mustard greens around to release any air bubbles. You can also cap the jar and move it around to coax air bubbles up to the top. Once you feel all air bubbles have been eliminated, fill the jar to the top to ensure that all of the greens are completely submerged in liquid.
• Take a 10- to 12-inch square piece of plastic wrap and fold it in half twice to make a neat smaller square. Place it over the jar, making sure there are no air bubbles under the plastic wrap. Screw the top on over the plastic wrap to create an airtight fit.
• Use a clean kitchen cloth to wipe any liquid from the jar and place a label on it with the date. Place the jar in a cool dark place for about 2 days, or until the mustard greens have turned from a bright green to a dull green.
• After the mustard greens turn a dull green (2 days), put them in the back of the refrigerator, and they should be ready to eat in 7 days.

SUAN CAI YU (EASY VERSION)

Steps:

• To slice catfish, tilt the knife so it's 45 degrees against the cutting board. Slice fish in a sawing motion along the grain into 1/2 cm (1/4 inch) thick slices.
• Combine fish, white pepper, salt, egg white, and potato starch in a bowl. Gently mix the ingredients by hand, until the fish is evenly coated with a thin layer of starch. Let marinate for 10 to 20 minutes.
• Heat vegetable oil in a deep skillet (or a wok) over medium heat until warm. Add green onion, garlic, ginger, and chili pepper. When it starts to sizzle, turn to medium low heat. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add doubanjiang. Stir and cook until the herbs are evenly coated.
• Add Sichuan pickles and jalapenos (if using). Cook and stir for 5 minutes. Add Shaoxing wine to deglaze the pan. Quickly stir a few times.
• Add chicken stock. Cook over medium heat until boiling. Turn to medium low heat and let the broth simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer the pickles to a big serving bowl.
• Make sure there is at least 1 cm (1/2 inch) of broth in the skillet, so the fish slices will be submerged later. Add more chicken stock if necessary, and return to a boil.
• Add sugar, salt, and white pepper powder. Mix well. Taste the broth and adjust seasoning if needed. The broth should be slightly salty.
• Turn to medium heat. Add fish slices in two batches. Use a spatula to gently transfer the fish to the skillet, and use a pair of tongs to quickly separate the slices without tearing the fish apart. Cook until fish is just cooked through, less than 30 seconds. Transfer the fish and the soup to the serving bowl on top of the pickles.
• Heat oil in another small skillet until warm. Add Sichuan peppercorns and doubanjiang. Cook and stir until the oil turns red and the peppercorns turn dark.
• Use a spatula (or colander) to remove and discard the solid ingredients.
• Pour the oil onto the fish while it's hot.
• Garnish the fish with green onion and serve warm.

PICKLED MUSTARD GREENS

Steps:

• Rinse greens. Fill large bowl with cold water. Add greens and soak 10 minutes. Drain greens; rinse and drain again. Cut out and discard core from greens, then coarsely chop leaves (will yield about 3 1/2 cups).
• Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds. Add chopped greens. Stir 3 minutes. Sprinkle sugar over, then 1/4 teaspoon salt; stir to blend. Mix in jalapeño chile; stir 1 minute. Transfer to bowl and cool. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
• Also known as preserved kohlrabi or mustard cabbage; sold at Asian markets.