Mustard greens
Brassica juncea · Leafy green
1 varietyTop 10 pairings
Mustard greens (Brassica juncea) are the leaves of the brown or Indian mustard plant, eaten for their broad, ruffled, bright-green blades and their sharp, peppery, almost horseradish-like bite. That raw heat — the same mustard-oil chemistry that powers mustard, horseradish and wasabi — mellows markedly once the leaves are cooked, which is why they are most often braised slow and long. They are a cornerstone green of three great cuisines at once: the slow-stewed pot greens of the American South, the Punjabi sarson ka saag of northern India, and the leaf mustards and pickles of southern China.
Picking a good onedrag
Squeaky, peppery, just cutYellow, limp, sulphurous
Shop freshEveryday bestThe all-rounder: the long braise, saag, or a fast stir-fry.
BladeGreen, a few blades relaxed at the edge
The midribMidrib bends, the leaf still stands
Cut endsRim drying, still pale inside the cut
Smell at a torn leafPeppery and green, milder
What you get from one
93%
Edible part
465 g · only the tough stem bases off
500 g
Weight each
each one
Keeping ittap a temperature
A domestic fridge holds it about 8× longer than the counter.
95-98%
Humidity
Vented bag, never sealed
Airflow