I stir-fried a type of Chinese mustard green with some red pepper flakes and it was too spicy for me.
Below are some links to more details, including photos:
My Story
As usual, I often learn about new vegetables at the supermarket. Since I’ve seen Sher Li Hon discounted several times, I decided to locate a recipe for it, so I would be prepared when I buy it at the next sale.
Inspiring Recipe
I found the recipe, Stir-fried Chinese Mustard Greens (Xue Li Hong), at one of my favorite blogs for Chinese food, The Woks of Life.
First Try
Since I had referenced the same website as the one that I use for one of our family’s preferred vegetables, sweet potato leaves, I had high expectations for this recipe.
Ingredients to Use
As I was planning the items for this dish, I decided to make one substitute and one omission. To complement 1.30 pounds of Sher Li Hon, I set aside the following ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon of oil
- 5 cloves of garlic
- Red pepper flakes (instead of dried red chili peppers)
- 1/2 tablespoon of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
- Salt
Because I don’t usually cook with dried red chili peppers, I decided not to buy any. Instead, I made use of the red pepper flakes in my cabinet.
As for the chicken bouillon, I skipped it as it was optional per the recipe.
Steps to Prepare
With three simple steps in the recipe, I only tweaked the last one. Because my electric stove didn’t jump from medium to high heat quickly in Step 2, I compensated in Step 3 by cooking the vegetables for 2 minutes instead of 45 seconds to a minute.
Also, I stirred in more salt for additional flavor before serving the dish.
Time to Eat
Too bad I didn’t have any dried red chili peppers. Otherwise, I think the dish would’ve been more visually appealing with the reds against the greens.
Recipe Rating
Below are the results of the recipe after the first try:
| # of Ingredients | Effort | $ / Serving | Try Again? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 |  | | |
The Sher Li Hon came out soft and slightly crunchy in a good amount of oil. In addition, the vegetables were a little sweet with medium spiciness.
Second Try
For the second round, I used the same ingredients, but had a different brand of sesame oil on hand. In addition, I measured the red pepper flakes, so I had a basis for modifying the amount in the future.
Ingredients to Use
With 1.98 pounds of Sher Li Hon this time, I increased the remaining items as follows:
- 6 tablespoons + 1 1/4 teaspoons of oil
- 7 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
- 2 1/3 teaspoons of sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil
- Salt
Steps to Prepare
For the process, I kept it pretty much the same as before, except for cooking the greens a little longer, totaling 2 to 3 minutes.
Time to Eat
Here’s the second batch of stir-fried Sher Li Hon, which looked a little more tender.
Recipe Rating
Below are the results of the recipe from the second attempt:
| # of Ingredients | Effort | $ / Serving | Try Again? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | | | |
The Sher Li Hon stalks and leaves were still soft and slightly sweet, but what stood out the most was the lightly salted and spicier flavor.
Usually, I enjoy my greens with a light taste, so if I were to make this dish again, I would do the following:
Continuous Improvement
- Decrease the red pepper flakes by 25%, assuming that I had the same amount of vegetables as the second attempt.
As I was planning for the second attempt, I realized that I didn’t know how much red pepper flakes to put in, so that the dish would be less spicy than the previous version. A a result, I would like to share the following with my younger self:
Lesson for Dumber Self
- For an ingredient that isn’t adjusted by tasting, make sure the amount used is noted.
What will you do now?
Next Step for You
- Try the recipe, Stir-fried Chinese Mustard Greens (Xue Li Hong), from the blog, The Woks of Life?
- Share your favorite substitute for dried red chili peppers?
- Ask a question or leave a note in the Comment box below about this post?
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