老火湯LO FO TONG

百子櫃

百子櫃THE HUNDRED DRAWERS

Preserved mustard greens

梅菜
whets the appetite解膩

Mustard greens salted and then sun-dried, sold in dark brown bundles. It comes sweet or salty; the sweet kind is what goes under a steamed fish or steamed pork. It must be soaked and washed first or it is both salty and gritty.

TCM properties

Nature · neutral Flavour · sweet、salty Meridians · spleen、stomach

Traditional food therapy

The tradition holds that it opens the appetite and cuts richness, which is why it sits under fatty meat.

Cautions: read first

  • High in sodium even after soaking.
  • Pickled vegetables carry nitrites; not an everyday dish.

Preparation

Soak for at least half an hour, rub and rinse repeatedly until no grit is left, then chop.

Origin

Huizhou and Meizhou in Guangdong are the old producing districts. Bagged at Australian Asian grocers; check whether it is the sweet or the salty kind

Availability in Australia

Common at Asian grocers

Pairs well with