Kiam Chai / Hum Choy (Homemade Pickled Mustard Greens)

Sometime i feel a lot of shops will getting lesser business if i continue to homemade a lot of foods, hehehe..From the last homemade salted eggs, this time i try to pickle mustard green, Hokkien people called as Kiam Chai or Hum Choy in Cantonese..
Also partly due to i bought some cheap mustard green from wet market the other day, RM 2 per kg..

Rinsed, drained and cut large heads of mustard greens into half..

Rub salt in between the leaves and stem

 squeeze moisture from the mustard green and pour in brining solution

 start to ferment for 7 days, this is the ready Kiam Chai (pickled mustard greens)

First i cooked it with stingray, yummy!

And we enjoyed it with fish meat in hotpot for dinner, replace rice with meehoon (rice vermicilli)

Kiam Chai / Hum Choy (Homemade Pickled Mustard Greens)
(recipe source: adapted from My Little Space and flavours lifestyle magazine, with minor changes)

Ingredients
2kg mustard greens (kai choy) 芥菜, rinsed & drained
145g coarse salt

Brining solution
3-4 litres water, or enough to cover
4tbsp salt
40g ginger, sliced
1/2tsp turmeric powder
1tbsp rice flour, mixed with 4tbsp water

Equipment- ceramic crock and heavy object (example plate), or glass jar with lid and a plastic sheet & rubber band

Method

1. Cut large heads of mustard greens into half, rub salt in between the leaves and stem then set aside for about 6 hours to draw out the moisture and wilt the greens.
2. Bring water to boil together with all other brining ingredients. Then set aside to cool before used.
3. Squeeze moisture from the mustard greens and then pack them into jar.
4. Pour cooled brining solution into the jar to keep those mustard greens covered.
5. Cover the top with plastic sheet & tide it up with rubber band, then cover by lid and set aside to in a cool place to ferment for 5-7 days.
6. Check on the greens every day and skim off the whitish bloom that appears on the surface of the brining solution.
7. Remove the mustard green after the 7th day without squeezing out any liquid, discard brining solution.
8. Wrap the mustard greens in cling film and store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 months.



Spicy braised stingray with pickled mustard greens
(recipe source: adapted from flavours lifestyle magazine)

1kg stingray, cut into 5cm pieces

Marinate
1tsp sugar
1tsp salt
A dash of pepper
1tsp sesame oil
1tbsp light soy sauce
1tbsp Shao Xing rice wine
3tbsp cornstarch

20g ginger, peeled and shredded
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 sprigs spring onions, separate white and green into 3cm in lengths
2tsp soy bean paste (taucheo)
350g pickled Hum Choy, soaked for 2hours, rinsed, squeezed dry and sliced
6 bird-eye chillies, chopped
6 red chillies, seeded and sliced
2 tomatoes, quartered
125ml water

Seasonings
1tbsp oyster sauce
2tsp Shao Xing rice wine
1tsp dark soy sauce
1tsp sesame oil
A dash of pepper

2tbsp potato starch, mixed with 2tbsp of water

Method

1. Mix stingray with the marinate and refrigerate for 1hour.
2. Deep fry stingray until lightly browned, set aside.
3. Remain some oil in the wok and sauté ginger, garlic and the white spring onion section until fragrant.
4. Add the bean paste and fry until aromatic. Add Hum Choy and stir-fry for 3mins.
5. Then add stingray, chillies, tomatoes, water and seasonings. Bring to boil and simmer over low heat, covered for 10mins.
6. Thicken the sauce with starch mixture, mix in the green section of spring onion and remove from heat. Enjoy!!


Fish meat hotpot 鱼肉炉
(recipe source: by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)

Stock (ikan bilis, soy bean, onion with water)
Chinese cabbage
Pickled mustard green
Spring onion
Tomatoes
Yam, sliced and deep fry
Soft tofu
Pickled plum
Lemongrass, crushed
Salt to taste
Instant stock powder

Fish meat
Meehoon noodles (rice vermicelli), blanched in hot water, set aside

Method

1. Boil all ingredients with stock except fish meat and noodles in a hotpot.
2. Add in fish meat and noodles, enjoy!