Pickled Mustard Greens (Burong Mustasa)

Pickled mustard greens (burong mustasa) is where mustard greens are fermented in brine for 3-5 days. Learn how to make them the easiest and simplest way.

I've harvested some mustard greens (mustasa) from my pallet planter boxes some days ago. In the photo below, they are the ones with the big leaves on the right side of the box and in front and at the back. I brought the seeds from the Philippines. I do not think they are popularly known to be edible here in Germany, can't even find a German word for it. So I thought I'll just grow me some of these piquant greens.   

What to do with my fresh bounty? I would eat them fresh if I have some 'buro'. Buro is a Kapampangan delicacy of fermented rice with (fresh) fish or shrimp. It has a pungent smell and is usually an acquired taste.    

So for now, I made pickled mustard greens or 'burong mustasa' instead.      So how do you make pickled mustard greens??? There are different methods I found but of course, I chose the easiest and most basic one.

First, wash every single leaf with water. Making sure they are clean.

Pat them dry with a paper towel and leave them to dry out a bit for some hours or overnight.  

This is absolutely optional. Others just cut them into smaller pieces but I wanted to have it exactly like how I remember them from our local market. So I tied each leaf into knots.   

Place the knotted leaves in a bowl. Sprinkle with rock salt and add water.

Gently massage using your hands.

Transfer the leaves to a jar and fill the jar with the brine solution. Cover and place in a dark place with room temperature for three to five days.

They would look like this after 3-5 days and they are ready. 

Pickled mustard greens can be eaten as it is. But the usual Filipino way was to saute it with scrambled eggs added.  On my next post, I will share a similar recipe with my batch of pickled mustard greens. It was simple but really good! Armin loved it, too bad I only made a small batch to try. Now I have to wait for my next harvest time to make it again.

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5 from 2 votes

Pickled Mustard Greens (Burong Mustasa)

Pickled mustard greens (burong mustasa) is where mustard greens are fermented in brine for 3-5 days. Learn how to make them the easiest and simplest way.

Print Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian,Filipino

Keyword: burong mustasa,pickled mustard greens

Servings: 5

Calories: 24kcal

Author: Bebs

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

US Customary - Metric

• ▢ 1 pound fresh mustard greens
• ▢ 2 cups water
• ▢ 1/4 cup rock salt

INSTRUCTIONS

• First, wash every single leaf with water. Making sure they are clean.
• Pat them dry with a paper towel and leave them to dry out and slightly wither for a couple of hours or overnight.
• Tie each leaf into a knot or cut them into smaller pieces about an inch long.
• Place them in a bowl. Sprinkle leaves with rock salt and add water.
• Gently massage the leaves by rubbing and slightly squeezing using your hands for 3-5 minutes.
• Transfer the leaves to a jar and fill the jar with the same brine solution making sure that the leaves are fully submerged. Cover and place the jar in a dark place with room temperature for at 3-5 days.

RECIPE NOTES

Place in the fridge after three days if not yet using. Remember that it gets saltier the longer it ferments.

Nutrition Facts

Pickled Mustard Greens (Burong Mustasa)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 24

% Daily Value*

Fat 0g0%

Saturated Fat 0g0%

Cholesterol 0mg0%

Sodium 18mg1%

Potassium 348mg10%

Carbohydrates 4g1%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 2745IU55%

Vitamin C 63.5mg77%

Calcium 104mg10%

Iron 1.5mg8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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