Pickled Salted Mustard Greens (Xuelihong)
腌制雪里蕻 · northern cuisine
Xuelihong (a variety of mustard green) is a classic northern Chinese pickle. Homemade pickles take patience, but the process is simple: wilt the greens, salt them in layers, keep them pressed under their own brine, and let fermentation work.
Priyanka RamanSoftware engineer by day, South Indian cook by night. My pressure cooker is my personality now. Trying to nail my amma's rasam without shortcuts.Nutrition & allergens
No supported allergens detected from surveyed ingredients.
Some ingredients are not yet allergen-surveyed; this label is not exhaustive.
Per serving (4 servings)
- Energy (kcal)
- 176.2(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
- Protein (g)
- 13.1(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
- Fat (g)
- 1.8(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
- Carbs (g)
- 33.5(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
- Sodium (mg)
- 21665(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
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
123.46 oz
salt盐
8.82 oz
Steps
- 1
Step 1
Remove any yellow leaves from the mustard greens and scrape the dirt off the root ends with a peeler. Hang the greens up to air-dry in the sun.
✅ Done when: The greens are clean of yellow leaves and soil and are hanging to dry.
- 2
Step 2
After one day of drying, the greens will have wilted slightly; at this point they are ready for the next step, salting.
✅ Done when: The greens look limp and wilted after a day of drying.
- 3
Step 3
Prepare the coarse salt for pickling.
✅ Done when: The coarse salt is measured out and ready.
- 4
Step 4
Pulse the coarse salt in a food processor to break it down into finer crystals.
✅ Done when: The salt crystals are visibly smaller and finer than the original coarse grains.
- 5
Step 5
Arrange the greens in the crock by coiling them round and round with the root ends facing up. Especially on the top layer, let the stems press down on the leaves — this keeps the leaves from floating up during pickling, which can cause them to spoil.
✅ Done when: All greens are coiled in layers with stems covering the leaves, especially on top.
- 6
Step 6
For each layer of greens, sprinkle on a layer of salt, then press the greens down firmly with your fist.
✅ Done when: Each layer is salted and compacted firmly under your fist.
- 7
Step 7
Cover the top with a full layer of salt to finish packing the greens for pickling.
✅ Done when: The topmost layer of greens is completely covered with salt.
- 8
Step 8
Place a heavy weight on top of the greens to press them down tightly, eliminating air pockets and setting them up for fermentation.
✅ Done when: The greens are firmly compressed with no visible air pockets.
- 9
Step 911520 min
By day eight, in a heated room, some of the brine that has seeped out will have evaporated, and the greens should still look bright green. During pickling, every one to two days, press the greens down with a stone so that everything stays submerged in the drawn-out brine — this keeps the surface greens from rotting.
✅ Done when: The greens remain bright green and are submerged in their brine.
- 10
Step 1021600 min
By day fifteen, the pickled greens will have developed their characteristic fragrant aroma.
✅ Done when: The greens give off a pleasant, distinctive pickled aroma.
- 11
Step 1130240 min
On day twenty-one, the pickled mustard greens are ready to eat.
✅ Done when: At three weeks the greens are fully pickled and ready to serve.
- 12
Step 1230240 min
At day twenty-one the finished greens look appetizing and are ready to enjoy.
✅ Done when: The finished pickles look glossy and appetizing.