Mustard Green Namul is a quick and simple side dish. All you need to do is cut and blanch mustard greens, then dress them with salt, garlic, and sesame oil. Namul is a Korean dish, but it is so popular among Japanese people that I included it in my blog.
Don't forget to see the section 'MEAL IDEAS' below the recipe card! It gives you a list of dishes that I have already posted and this recipe that can make up a complete meal. I hope it is of help to you.
- 1 bunch Chinese mustard green (about 350g/0.8lb, note 1)
- 1 tsp grated garlic
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp roasted white sesame seeds
- 2 tsp green onions finely chopped
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Remove about 1-1.5cm/⅜-⅝" of the stem end to detach each stalk.
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Cut each stalk into 5cm/2" long pieces and segregate the stem section from the leaf section of the mustard green pieces. If the stem section of the stalks or the leaf pieces are very wide, cut them vertically into 2-3 narrower pieces.
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Bring water in a large pot to a boil and add a couple of pinches of salt to the pot.
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Put the stalk pieces into the boiling water and cook for about 1 minute (note 2) until the mustard green pieces are semi cooked.
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Put the rest of the mustard greens into the pot and push them down to submerge them in the boiling water.
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Cook for about 30 seconds (note 3).
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Drain the mustard green pieces through a sieve and rinse them under cold running water until they cool down completely.
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Taking a handful of the mustard green pieces at a time, squeeze them tightly and remove the water out of them (note 3), then place them in a mixing bowl.
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When all mustard green pieces are placed in the mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients to the bowl.
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Mix well, ensuring that seasonings, sesame seeds, and green onion pieces are evenly mixed with the greens.
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Transfer to a large serving bowl to share or individual small bowls.
1. Mustard greens are also called gai choy. There are two types of mustard greens sold at Asian grocery stores in my area. One has thin stalks, and the leaves are smaller, the other type is larger with curled wide stalks. Accordingly, the leaves are much wider. The curly wide stem species are called big mustard greens. Please see the photo in the post that shows both types of mustard greens.
I used a bunch of big mustard greens for today’s dish. But you can of course use mustard greens with thin straight stems, which will take less time to blanch.
2. Depending on the thickness of your stalk pieces, the time to cook may be a little bit longer/shorter.
3. Do not overcook your mustard greens. If overcooked, they will disintegrate and become mushy when you try to squeeze the water out at the next step.
4. It is important to squeeze the water out of the greens as much as possible, otherwise the dish becomes watery with a bland flavour.
5. You can keep Mustard Green Namul for 3 days in the fridge.
6. Nutrition per serving as a side.
serving: 94g calories: 88kcal fat: 6.6g (8%) saturated fat: 0.7g (4%) trans fat: 0.0g polyunsaturated fat: 2.2g monounsaturated fat: 3.4g cholesterol: 0mg (0%) sodium: 1112mg (48%) carbohydrates: 5.6g (2%) dietary fibre: 3.6g (13%) sugar: 0.8g protein: 3.4g vitamin D: 0mcg (0%) calcium: 64mg (5%) iron: 1.5mg (8%) potassium: 142mg (3%)