Mustard greens are also referred to as leaf mustard or Chinese leaf mustard. I am quite familiar with this green vegetable from childhood. My grandma loves to make pickled mustard greens or use them to make our unique preserved vegetables.
Sichuan cuisine is famous for its pickled vegetables and dried vegetables. The most common usage in Chinese cuisine is pickled mustard greens. Pickled mustard greens are a staple of Sichuan cuisine. There are many popular Sichuan dishes that use pickled mustard greens, such as shredded mustard green noodles (suancai rou si) and Suancai Yu.
In addition, other varieties are cultivated in China. Some with a larger stem, which is used to make dried vegetables (zaicai si) or pickled Zha Cai, while others might have a smaller lobus apicalis like potherb mustard. Mustard group vegetables are considered among the healthiest green vegetables in China due to their ability to relieve constipation, reduce toxicity, and have anti-infection effects.
I bought a large batch of mustard greens to make pickled mustard greens as a further preparation for my Suancai Yu (Boiled fish with Suancai, a sister recipe to the Shui Zu Yu recipe). I get some leafovers, so I make this quick stir-fry dish.
Stir-fried mustard greens are really simple but taste super fresh. Besides, I do like the pure green color, looking so appealing and inviting. In addition, mustard greens can be used in a soup recipe, for example, mustard green tofu soup.
Blanching or Not?
If you get fresh, high-quality mustard greens without prickly hairs, you can skip blanching and fry them directly.
In contrast, if you feel the leaves have prickly hairs. Blanching them in hot boiling water for 1 minute can help to remove the hairs.
Oil and Aromatics
I recommend lard as the top choice for this stir-fry. If you want a vegan version, coconut oil can be a great substitute.
You will also need roughly chopped garlic and several dried chili peppers. Fresh Thai pepper can be a great substitute, too.
Mustard Green Stir Fry Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 head large mustard green , remove the heads and cut into sections
- 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
- 3 dry chili pepper cut into sections or replace with 1 fresh Thai chili pepper
- 2 tbsp. oil recommend lard
- â…› tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. sesame oil
Instructions
- Clean and wash the mustard greens carefully, drain and then cut into small pieces.
- Heat up cooking oil in wok, add garlic and chili pepper, fry until aromatic over slow fire.
- Turn up the fire, add mustard green in. Quickly fry for around 1 minute. Add salt and light soy sauce. Mix well.
- Sprinkle with sesame oil. Transfer out and serving with steamed rice or other staple food your like.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Greetings from Germany,
i wonder if Mustard Green is also called Bok Choi
(Translated in german as mustard cabbage)
or is this a diffrent kind of vegetable.
We are great fans of the “real” chinese cuisine, and i really appreciate what your are doing on your blog. I have already “recooked” some of your recipes, and tested them at native chinese friends… they love your recipes
Hi there.
Thanks for your trust. I am so honored to hear the nice feedback.
Bok Choy is a different vegetable from Mustard green. You can see from the leaves. Check here https://www.chinasichuanfood.com/quick-fry-bok-choy/ to see whether you are referring to this one.
Happy cooking ahead.
mustard greens are called gai choy,or guy choy
apetitosa recipe and very easy to make! … I tried it with the bok choy.
Thank you and congratulations!
Thanks for your feedback. Bok choy is also a great green vegetable for stir frying.
I always need new ideas and ways to cook and kick up the flavour of greens so thanks for this great recipe. You can definitely consider that I will be recreating it!
Thanks Thalia,
Greens are really important to a real Chinese style dinner so we cook a lot. Go ahead and try it. I believe you will love it.
You should mean ‘blanch’ instead of ‘blend’.
Thanks Irene for the correctness and updated!
Thank you for the recipe. Mustard greens are my favorite.
Now I know what to do with these greens! Very simple recipe and delicious too. Thank you.
Thank you Maureen. Happy cooking!
I have what is called Chinese Mustard Greens that grow prolifically in my garden. When raw they taste and smell like wasabi mustard but lose that quality when cooked. Am wondering how they will taste when fermented as in this recipe of yours? Am not familiar with the flavor of the greens in your photo.
Yes, the flavor of mustard greens is easy to lose, especially after boiling. If you like the taste, you can eat it raw or stir-fry it.