pickled mustard greens

Making these Cantonese salted/pickled mustard greens has been a family tradition for decades. This is our 101-year-old grandmother&#039;s recipe!

Chinese Pickled Mustard Greens (Haam Choy)

mustard

ginger ((peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick))

salt

water

sea salt

granulated sugar ((2.62 teaspoons is 2 1/2

white vinegar

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.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/q64BhLwT.mp4

Watch our 101-year-old grandma make her Cantonese pickled mustard greens (haam choy or ham choy, depending on how you spell it), a recipe she's been making for decades!

Fermented or pickled mustard greens is a classic Chinese sauerkraut. This pickled mustard greens recipe is a simple and easy way to make delicious homemade suan choi. 

Pickled Mustard Greens

Gai choi (Mustard Greens)

salt (enough

Some Washed rice water (to fill up the jar cover the vegetables)

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 sterile the vegetables because I washed the vegetables and did not put 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, remember this step is very important to rub salt on every leaf. 

The following, put the salted gai choi into a glass container. Then, pour washed rice water and fill 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. 

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/sW4iLY9o.mp4

Fermented or pickled mustard greens is a classic Chinese sauerkraut. This pickled mustard greens recipe is a simple and easy way to make delicious homemade suan cai (酸菜).

The sauce on this Fried Fish with Pickled Mustard Bean Paste Sauce is delicious with cod and other fish like threadfin and king mackerel.

Fried Fish with Pickled Mustard Bean Paste Sauce

oz pickled mustard green (/ kiam chai (113 grams))

¼ tsp ground pepper

vegetable oil

water ((240 milliliters))

tsp corn starch (mix with 2 tbsp water)

green onions (/ spring onions, thinly sliced)

garlic ((minced))

ginger

chili

tbsp tau cheong ((salted/fermented soy beans), minced)

tsp sugar

Soak sour mustard for 30 minutes. Rinse, drain and cut into thin strips.

Combine all sauce paste ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well.

Place fish on a large plate. Sprinkle salt and ground pepper all over the fish.

Heat 4 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok or large fry pan. Add prepared fish and fry until cooked and lightly brown, about 8 minutes (4 minutes on each side). Transfer fish to a serving dish.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in the wok or large fry pan. Add sauce paste and stir fry for 2 minutes.

Add prepared pickled mustard green. Stir fry for 30 seconds.

Pour in water. Stir to mix. Cover and bring to a boil. Allow it to simmer for 2 minutes.

Add cornstarch slurry. Stir to mix. Sauce will start to thicken. Turn off stove.

Ladle sauce over the fried fish. Garnish with green/spring onions and serve immediately.

Top 3 pickled mustard greens recipes from across the web

The most viewed pickled mustard greens recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Chinese Pickled Mustard Greens (Haa...

Pickled Mustard Greens

Fried Fish with Pickled Mustard Bea...

Top 3 pickled mustard greens recipes from across the web

The most viewed pickled mustard greens recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Chinese Pickled Mustard Greens (Haa...

Pickled Mustard Greens

Fried Fish with Pickled Mustard Bea...

The most viewed pickled mustard greens recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine