Mustard Greens Salad

Mustard Greens salad is one of my favorite salads served with any Filipino viand. It goes well with everything that it can enhance the food and the mix of flavors even more, making one's food experience extraordinary, fun and unforgettable.

I learned to make mustard greens salad thru my dad, who grew mustard leaves in a small vacant lot beside our old house when I was a kid.

Eating organic has been in our diet since I was a little girl. We practically ate whatever vegetable was grown from our yard. It's one of the things I enjoyed in my life. I experienced and witnessed my dad plant, harvest and cook those simple greens which in a way, kept us all healthy.

Here in the Philippines, the local name for it is Mustaza. It is often added to any Sinigang dish. We also love to pair Mustaza with Burong Hipon (fermented rice with shrimp).

One famous way of serving Mustaza is as a salad. Mustard Green Salad is easy to prepare. By the way, a bunch may cost 8-15php in a regular grocery store. But if you'll buy from the market (palengke) it's cheaper and fresher.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of Mustard leaves ( Mustaza)
• 3 medium tomatoes (chopped)
• 1 medium white onion (chopped)
• a pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp cane vinegar or lemon juice (optional)
• drizzle of olive oil (optional)

Procedure: 

• Remove the roots and wash the leaves well.
• Chop the leaves with the stems into thin strips, set aside in a  bowl.
• With a little water massage and squeeze the juice from the leaves to lessen its bitter- spicy flavor.
• Set the squeezed batch in a serving bowl.
• Toss the rest of the ingredients (including the lemon juice and olive oil or anything you want to add)  and mix everything evenly.

Personally, I don't squeeze the leaves anymore. I like it a bit bitter, because it goes well with the tomatoes, onions and lemon juice. Then, I prepare an amount that will last us for a week then store it in the fridge. My goal is for every meal, there should be a little to go with whatever viand I cook. Makes me feel secure that my family is getting a dose of fiber everyday.

Chicken Katsu with Wasabi Mayo and Mustard Greens

Health Benefits:

Lowers the risk of Cancer. It acts as a strong antioxidant, detoxification, anti- inflammatory agent. Studies have linked mustard greens to the prevention of bladder, colon, breast, lung, prostate and ovarian cancers. -source-