If I’m in the mood for a simple vegetable with a distinct bitter taste, I now know what to cook!
Below are some links to more details, including photos:
My Story
Other than having Chinese mustard greens in soup with salted eggs while growing up, I have never tried them any other way. Since these vegetables were on sale at the supermarket, I decided to buy a bag and figure out how to cook them later.
Inspiring Recipe
After searching online, I found a recipe, Chinese Mustard Greens Stir Fry, from the blog, Oh Snap! Let’s Eat!
First Try
Since I already had the main ingredient, I just needed to grab a few more items at home and was ready to cook.
Ingredients to Use
With 2.08 pounds of Chinese mustard greens, I modified the measurement of a couple of the other ingredients as follows:
- 4 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon of oil
- 7 cloves of garlic
As for the salt, I had it handy for shaking, but decided to skip the optional dried red pepper.
Steps to Prepare
For the four steps in the instructions, I followed them as written.
Also, I cooked the leaves for six minutes in Step 3 and they were tender enough to be salted.
Time to Eat
Here’s a bowl of Chinese mustard greens as a side dish for dinner.
Recipe Rating
Below were the results of the recipe after the first try:
| # of Ingredients | Effort | $ / Serving | Try Again? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |  | |  |
The Chinese mustard greens were slightly crunchy, with some leaves wilted. Though this dish was a little bitter, it was refreshing as well. Even my younger son seemed to like it.
Second Try
For the second batch, I didn’t have any specific changes in mind aside from the measurement for one ingredient.
Ingredients to Use
With slightly more Chinese mustard greens for the second round (2.18 pounds), the only adjustment I made was to increase the oil to 4 tablespoons + 1 1/4 teaspoons.
Steps to Prepare
As for the process, I repeated what I did for the first batch.
Time to Eat
Even though some pieces of the stalks were burnt, I was hoping that they wouldn’t taste like it.
Recipe Rating
Below are the results of the recipe from the second attempt:
| # of Ingredients | Effort | $ / Serving | Try Again? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | | | |
Again, the vegetables were crunchy. Also, it seemed like the dish had a more appropriate amount of salt, probably because I added more this time during the tasting. Lastly, there was no burnt taste, but was it masked by the bitterness already inherent in the Chinese mustard greens?
Since Chinese mustard greens have a pleasantly unique taste, I plan on cooking them again. In addition, I will experiment with the flavor as follows:
Continuous Improvement
- Add dried red peppers as listed on the recipe.
After reflecting on my experience of preparing Chinese mustard greens, I learned the following that I would like to share with my previous self:
Lesson for Dumber Self
- When a dish has few ingredients, pay close attention during the tasting process as it can make a big difference on the outcome of the flavors.
What will you do now?
Next Step for You
- Try the recipe, Chinese Mustard Greens Stir Fry, from the blog, Oh Snap! Let’s Eat!?
- Share your favorite recipe for Chinese mustard greens?
- Read another post on this site? (Go to the menu at the top of the page.)
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