Pickled Mustard Greens (Xuelihong) Two Ways
雪里蕻制作两款下饭菜 · pan chinese cuisine
In the author's home this dish appears often because it is a flavorful companion to plain steamed buns. The stir-fried version is ready the same day, while the pickled half develops a mild sourness after a day and a medium sourness by day four. The greens must be squeezed very dry before stir-frying, and the pickled portion must never touch raw water or oil or it will spoil.
Rosa DelgadoThird-generation Tex-Mex cook learning my abuela's tamales before it's too late. Masa is a living thing, y'all. Also deep in a sourdough phase I can't explain.Nutrition & allergens
Contains:SoyWheat
Some ingredients are not yet allergen-surveyed; this label is not exhaustive.
Per serving (4 servings)
- Energy (kcal)
- Unknown
- Protein (g)
- Unknown
- Fat (g)
- Unknown
- Carbs (g)
- Unknown
- Sodium (mg)
- Unknown
Estimated from verified ingredient data for the original formula — not lab values, and one dish is not a full meal.
Leaf mustard雪里蕻
28.22 oz
5.0 piece
garlic大蒜
10.0 clove
5.0 slice
0.13 cup
salt盐
to taste
3.53 oz
Canola oil菜籽油
as needed
to taste
to taste
to taste
Techniques you'll use
- Blanching (chao shui) ↗
Par-cook in boiling water to clean, tighten, or prep ingredients.
- Marinating ↗
Season protein ahead with soy, wine, and starch for flavor and texture.
- Stir-frying ↗
Cook small pieces in stages, then bring them together while their textures are distinct.
Steps
- 1
Step 1
Rinse the mustard greens thoroughly and trim off any old or spoiled parts.
✅ Done when: The greens are clean with no yellowed or damaged leaves remaining.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the stems first, and boil for 1 minute.
✅ Done when: After 1 minute of boiling, the stems are slightly tender.
Add the leaves to the pot and boil for about 1 minute more.
✅ Done when: The leaves are wilted and cooked through after about 1 minute.
Take half of the mustard greens, let them cool, then rub salt evenly over them.
✅ Done when: The cooled greens are evenly coated with salt on all surfaces.
Put the salted greens into a plastic storage bag, pour in 2 spoonfuls of white vinegar, tie the bag tightly with a secure knot, then knead the bag a few times to distribute the vinegar evenly. Refrigerate for 2 days before eating; take out portions as needed.
✅ Done when: The bag is tightly sealed with the vinegar spread over all the greens, ready after 2 days in the refrigerator.
- 6
Step 6
Rinse the other half of the mustard greens with clean water, squeeze out the water, and set aside.
✅ Done when: The greens are rinsed and squeezed dry, holding minimal water.
- 7
Step 7
Finely chop the pork, bird's eye chilies, ginger, garlic, and mustard greens (the finer, the better).
✅ Done when: All ingredients are cut into fine, even pieces.
Heat the wok, sprinkle in a little salt, and pour in rapeseed oil (the salt keeps the pork from sticking). Add the ground pork and ginger and stir-fry.
✅ Done when: The pork is no longer pink and breaks apart as it stir-fries.
Add the chopped bird's eye chilies and minced garlic and continue stir-frying.
✅ Done when: The aromatics are fragrant and evenly mixed with the pork.
Add the mustard greens. Chopped greens release water, so squeeze them dry once more before adding; the drier, the better.
✅ Done when: The greens are squeezed as dry as possible and incorporated into the wok.
Season with salt, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and oyster sauce, and keep stir-frying until the moisture is cooked off, then remove from the wok.
✅ Done when: The liquid in the wok has evaporated and the mixture looks dry.
- 12
Step 12
Serve — this is the first way to eat it, as a fresh stir-fried dish.
✅ Done when: The stir-fry is plated and ready to serve.
Remember the half pickled in the bag? This one was taken out after one day and stir-fried the same way as the first version; the color turns a bit more yellow and the flavor is mildly sour.
✅ Done when: The day-old pickled greens show a yellower color and a mild sour taste.
This version is fantastic tucked into steamed buns. Cook it exactly like the first version; only the flavor of the greens differs.
✅ Done when: The finished stir-fry is ready to be folded into steamed buns.
This is how the greens look when taken out and stir-fried on the fourth day: medium sourness, a must for fans of sour pickled vegetables.
✅ Done when: By day four the greens have developed a noticeably, but not overly, sour flavor.