Burong Mustasa or Pickled Flat Mustard Greens is a type of Filipino fermented appetizer wherein flat leaf mustard greens are soaked in a brine solution composed of sea salt and rice water. The latter is the liquid produced after boiling white rice in water.
This way of preparing mustard greens might sounds unappealing to some of you. It is totally understandable. In fact, I felt the same way back then when I haven’t tried one yet. I must say that it takes a little bit of getting-used-to or what they call “developing an acquired taste” before you can appreciate it. I even liked it better after learning that pickling mustard greens this way is still healthy because it preserves most of its nutrients.
There are many uses for burong mustasa. Aside from being an appetizer, it can also be used as an ingredient to prepare certain dishes. A good example of this would be sautéed mustard greens with egg wherein chopped pickled mustard greens are sautéed with garlic, onion, and tomato. A piece or two beaten eggs are added towards the end and then sautéed some more until it gets the consistency of scrambled eggs. It also makes a good side dish for fried and grilled fish. I like to have it with either inihaw na dalag (grilled mudfish or murrel) or inihaw na bangus (grilled milk fish). It is also a perfect with fried galunggong and tinapang isda (smoked fish).
The recipe below will show you how I make my burong mustasa. Note that you can always chop the mustard greens if that is your preference. I like to have it whole because I sometime nibble on it while watching TV. This should be good for 3 weeks when properly stored in cool temperature.
Try this Burong Mustasa (Pickled Flat Mustard Greens) Recipe. Let me know what you think.
Burong Mustasa (Pickled Flat Mustard Greens)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fresh flat mustard greens
- 2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
- 3 tablespoons rice
- 1 ½ cups water
Instructions
- Wash the flat mustard leaves and pat dry. Soak under the sun for 1 hour or until wilted.
- Meanwhile, prepare the rice water by combining rice and water in a pot. Cover and cook the rice in medium heat until soft.
- Combine salt and mustard leaves in a bowl. Gently mash the mixture. Arrange in a resealable jar.
- Place a mesh strainer over the jar. Pour the rice water from the pot. Note: the soft rice should be filtered by the mesh. We only need the water for this process.
- Cover the jar. Let it stay in room temperature for 4 to 6 days.
- Serve as an appetizer or use an ingredient to cook fish, egg, and other dishes. You can stock it in cooler temperature (50 to 55F) for the flavor to develop further.
- Share and enjoy!
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