Cookbook:Mustard Greens
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| Category | Vegetables |
Cookbook | Recipes | Ingredients | Equipment | Techniques | Cookbook Disambiguation Pages | Ingredients
Mustard greens, sometimes called Chinese mustard, Indian mustard, gai choi, or leaf mustard,[1][2][3] are the edible leaves of the Brassica juncea plant,[2][4][5] which is closely related to cabbage.[6] The leaves of some other brassicas (e.g. wild mustard) may be edible and referred to as mustard greens,[4] but this chapter covers Brassica juncea in particular.
Characteristics
[edit | edit source]Looking something like other leafy brassicas, if more delicate,[5] mustard greens come in heads of dark green leaves, each with a central stalk.[4][6][7] The leaves are fluted or ruffly,[1][4][6][7] and like the mustard seeds to which they are related, they have a slight pungency of flavor and bitterness.[1][2][4][5][6]
A few varieties of mustard greens exist,[2] including large-petiole mustard (dai gai choy), head mustard, and snow mustard.[2][4]
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Korean red mustard -
Gai choi
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Selection and storage
[edit | edit source]As with other fresh greens, mustard greens should be crisp and bright green, without wilting or discoloration.[2][6] Smaller and younger plants will be slightly less bitter than larger and older ones.[2] They will keep, wrapped in plastic, for several days in the fridge.[2] Leafier varieties have a slightly shorter shelf life.[2]
Use
[edit | edit source]Being bitter, these greens can be eaten raw but are often cooked,[2][5][6] which reduces their bitterness.[1] More tender leaves are suitable for stir-frying, and varieties with thicker stems are used for pickling in Chinese and Southeast Asian cuisines.[2][4] The greens are also steamed, braised, and incorporated into soups.[3][7]
Blanching the greens before cooking separately can help reduce the bitterness.[2][4]
Substitution
[edit | edit source]Recipes
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ a b c d "The Serious Eats Field Guide to Asian Greens". Serious Eats. Retrieved 2026-02-01.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Everyone (2020-12-14). "Chinese Mustard Greens (芥菜)". The Woks of Life. Retrieved 2026-02-01.
- ↑ a b Facciola, Stephen (1990). Cornucopia : a source book of edible plants. Internet Archive. Vista, CA : Kampong Publications. ISBN 978-0-9628087-0-8.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Davidson, Alan (2014-01-01). Jaine, Tom (ed.). The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780199677337.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-967733-7.
- ↑ a b c d McGee, Harold (2007-03-20). On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4165-5637-4.
- ↑ a b c d e f Labensky, Sarah R.; Hause, Alan M.; Martel, Priscilla (2018-01-18). On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals. Pearson. ISBN 978-0-13-444190-0.
- ↑ a b c The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) (2011-09-13). The Professional Chef. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-42135-2.