Japanese Red Mustard Stems Pickled

[Mark]

Mustard stems aren't the most common vegetable to pickle for westerners but it is popular in Asia. The pickled mustard stems are used sparingly as an accompaniment to other food and dishes like noodle soups etc to give a slight "zing" and enhance flavour.

I've also used mustard leaves and stems as a flavouring in other pickles such as pickled cucumbers instead of buying mustard seeds. The red/purple leaves can also add a unique pinkish colour to the pickle solution which looks pretty cool.

Here I've used Japanese giant red mustard stems and I use a basic vinegar pickling solution (I'm not one for over spicing pickles no matter what they are) and in this mix I simply used about two cups of cider vinegar and two cups of white vinegar (the cheap home-brand stuff). I pour this into a saucepan, add a tablespoon of cooking salt, a tablespoon of peppercorns, and a tablespoon of sugar, then I bring it to the boil and turn off. If you wanted to be fancy you could add some other spices and garlic cloves etc...

Trim the freshly picked mustard stems (naturally remove all the leaves first) into stick lengths according to the size of the jars and pack them tightly into sterilised jars. Pour the hot pickling mix over and fully cover the mustard stems, seal and leave to cool. Label and they should be ready to eat or use for cooking in a few weeks (or maybe four).

Fully grown Japanese red mustard plant - it's a striking salad vegetable to have in the garden!

 

[stevo]

well, I've never heard of it before. You've got a whole bunch of weird stuff at your place

 

[Mark]

well, I've never heard of it before. You've got a whole bunch of weird stuff at your place

I like collecting weird stuff and I've got a pretty adventurous palate even if I do say so

 

[Steve]

Wow, learning something new every day.

They look like celery stems in the jars.
I dont think I've ever seen a mustard plant in the flesh. They look like an asian salad leaf, interesting....
Can you eat the leaves as a salad or are they too mustardy?

Also, do you have any photos of how the mustard seeds look on the plant? Just interested as I've never seen them before and we also use them in cooking.

 

[Mark]

The leaves are fine in salads but can be a little strong for some. They can be cooked like spinach also - young leaves are best.

I don't have seed photos but I'll take some when my current mustard plant goes to seed and post them here.