Calorie content and features of the composition of the product. How leaf mustard can help in the healing of the body. Can everyone eat it. How the plant is used in cooking: preparation features, interesting recipes. The benefits of the product are really great, this plant is often compared to spinach, and this culture is a real storehouse of health. It is noteworthy that in Russia during the time of Catherine II, mustard leaves were very much appreciated as a tasty and healthy product, it is a pity that today very few people remember this.
Contraindications and harm of mustard leaf
Despite the impressive list of useful properties of mustard leaf, it, unfortunately, is not indicated for everyone. First, it should be said that there is a fine line between the benefits and harms of mustard leaf, and the name of this line is a measure. This means that even a healthy person should not abuse this product, otherwise one or another unpleasant symptomatology may appear. However, some people are not recommended to eat the product in normal doses that are not dangerous for a healthy person. First of all, patients with gallbladder and kidney disease are at risk. The leaves of the plant contain substances such as oxalates, which negatively affect the condition of people suffering from the aforementioned ailments. In addition, it should be said that if you are prescribed calcium therapy, it is better to refuse the use of the product, since it interferes with the absorption of this mineral into the blood. Also, you should not eat it when using anticoagulants - these drugs are aimed, among other things, at reducing the level of vitamin K in the body, and mustard leaves will increase it.
It should be noted that, like any other spicy crop, mustard mustard should be introduced into the diet with extreme caution in the presence of severe heart and digestive system diseases.
Caution should also be exercised by allergy sufferers, pregnant and lactating women. The active components of the plant can cause individual intolerance. If you have health problems or are taking medications that were not mentioned in this section, most likely mustard leaf is not contraindicated for you, but it is still better to consult with your doctor before introducing the product into the diet.
How to eat mustard leaves
Of course, the best way to eat mustard greens is to add it fresh to your salad. It can also accompany the serving of meat or other hot dishes. It is not forbidden to use the plant as a spice, but in this case it is better to add it a couple of minutes before preparing the dish, so more nutrients will be preserved.
As for the preparation of mustard leaves, this is a very controversial point. Salad crops rarely try to preserve for a long time, because they are mainly used fresh, and after freezing and drying, the product can be used purely as a spice. And, nevertheless, if this option suits you, you, of course, can stock up on mustard leaves for the winter. It can be frozen or dried like any other greenery. It is better to dry it outdoors (the leaves must be rinsed and cut beforehand), but you can also use the oven, try not to increase the temperature more than 40 degrees. Freezing is even easier, the greens only need to be washed, dried, cut, folded into plastic containers, closed with a tight lid and put into the freezer.
You can also pickle or salt leafy salad mustard, for example, according to this recipe:
- Rinse the leaves (1 kg), dry and cut into pieces of the desired size.
- Cut onions into half rings (1 piece).
- Prepare the marinade: mix water (3 liters), salt (4 tablespoons), sugar (8 tablespoons), vinegar (2 tablespoons), bring to a boil.
- Fold the mustard and onion into jars, pour over the slightly cooled marinade and roll up the jars or close them with a tight lid.
It is allowed to store such a workpiece at room temperature, and you can try it in a day.
Mustard Recipes
So, as we said above, the use of a product in cooking is not limited to strict frameworks. It sounds equally good in both cold and hot dishes, except perhaps in desserts, it will hardly be appropriate. But for the rest of the recipes, mustard leaves will add piquancy and unusual original notes, so if you want to make changes to an already boring dish, try using a spicy-spicy culture originally from China for this purpose.
And if you don't feel like experimenting, use ready-made recipes:
- Healthy sandwich … Toast (4 slices) toast bread in a skillet in a little vegetable oil or dry in a toaster. Boil chicken breast (1 piece). Make a paste: Combine chopped mustard leaves (50 grams), olive oil (1 tablespoon) and crumbled feta cheese (100 grams). Cut the tomato into thin circles (1 piece), slices the breast. On each slice of bread, place a little pasta, then a couple of tomato slices and a few slices of breast.
- Fried mustard with garlic … Heat vegetable oil (1 tablespoon) in a deep frying pan, fry thin slices of onion (120 grams) in it until golden brown, then add chopped garlic (2 cloves) and cook until its smell spreads throughout the kitchen. Add chopped mustard leaves (500 grams) and pour in broth - meat or vegetable (3 tablespoons). Simmer until the leaves are tender. Add sesame oil (1/4 teaspoon) to the finished dish, salt and pepper to taste. You can serve such an interesting side dish to any meat as an addition to the main side dish, for example, rice or potatoes.
- Fresh Mustard Leaf Salad … Cut green onions (20 grams) into slices, tomatoes (150 grams) and bell peppers (150 grams) into medium-sized cubes. Tear cilantro (10 grams) and mustard leaves (40 grams) with your hands. Place all vegetables and herbs in a bowl. Prepare the dressing: Combine vegetable oil (25 ml), lemon juice (1 teaspoon), salt and pepper to taste. Pour the dressing into the salad, let it brew for five minutes and eat.
- Spicy pork with green beans … Heat the vegetable oil (2 tablespoons) in a wok or saucepan, sauté the green beans (200 grams) for 5 minutes and transfer to a plate. Heat high, add minced pork (400 grams) and fry for 5-10 minutes, then return the beans, add mustard (100 grams), any wine (3 tablespoons) and soy sauce (3 tablespoons). Simmer for another 3-5 minutes. Season the finished dish with salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Mustard greens are a great way to make even not-so-healthy dishes healthy, so if you like the taste of this product, try to use it in the kitchen as often as possible, keeping in mind, of course, reasonable limits.
Interesting facts about mustard leaf
Mustard leaves have an interesting feature: when heated again, nitrates can be converted into harmful components - nitrites and nitrosamines. This transformation occurs due to the activity of a group of bacteria that multiply in food rich in nitrates. This is why hot meals with mustard mustard are best cooked in one go to avoid reheating. By the way, spinach has the same curious feature.
The culture requires minimal maintenance, it has only two main "requirements" - loosening and watering. If you forget about the latter, the leaves become tasteless and rough. Mustard grows very quickly, and already four weeks after planting, you can get good bunches of lettuce.
Despite the fact that leaf mustard is often compared to spinach in terms of its usefulness, its closest "green" relative is arugula.
Some of the best plant varieties are Salatnaya 54 and Volnushka.
It is noteworthy that mustard leaves can be found in our climate in the wild, in abandoned gardens, wastelands, near roads.
The culture is used to produce oil that can be used for salad dressing.
Watch the video about mustard leaf:
Mustard leaf is a real storehouse of nutrients, but it is also a delicious product that adds spice and originality to any dish. It is not so easy to find it in our stores, but if you succeed, be sure to buy and try. And if you like this culture, you can grow it yourself in the country or at home in pots. However, before introducing a product into your diet, check out its contraindications.
