The market · Vegetables · South Asia, East Asia

Mustard greens

Leaves of the mustard plant: peppery, a little bitter, and softened by long cooking.

peppery · pungent · bitter
Mustard greens

What to do with it

Rosa Ibarra's Clarified milk punch, mezcal and pineappleMustard green would temper its sweetnessKenji Hara's Milk punch, with hojichaMustard green would temper its sweetness

Kinds

Sarson
The Punjabi mustard leaf, for sarson da saag.
Gai choy
Broad-stemmed Chinese mustard, often pickled — yacai and suan cai.
Red or frilly mustard
Young leaves for salads.

Goes with

gheegingergarlicspinach

Knowing it

Where to buy
South Asian and Chinese grocers in winter.
A little history
Sarson da saag with makki di roti, maize flatbread, is the Punjabi winter meal.
Worth knowing
Cook it long with some spinach, mash it, and bind with a spoonful of maize flour, as they do in Punjab.

Kitchens that keep it in

Punjab — northern India and eastern PakistanPunjabiWheat, dairy and the tandoor: rich, generous cooking from the land of five rivers, and the source of much of what the world calls Indian food.10 classics

More vegetables, in season with it

just inVegetablesBrussels sproutsnutty when browned, sweet, bitterbitterNot cooked here yetat its peakVegetablesButternut squashsweet, nutty2 classicsVegetablesCardoonsartichoke-like, bitter, nuttyNot cooked here yetVegetablesCauliflowermild, nutty when brownedNot cooked here yet