Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Mustard greens with garlic and dark soy sauce

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Today's Superfood: Mustard greens
Vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C, folate, manganese, fiber, calcium

Few things make this mother happier than having her 13-year-old son help with dinner.

Depending on the day.

Here's the thing: I'm territorial in the kitchen. At the end of a long or particularly frustrating day at work, I prefer to make dinner by myself, in silence. It calms me down. Poor Emery, my older son, my budding chef, who's always willing to help, often gets growled at when he offers his services.

I'm trying to be better, more accepting, more tolerant. I'm trying to make space for Emery at the stove. Which is why today, when a huge care package of pre-washed, pre-cut, ready-to-go Cut 'n Clean Greens showed up at the front door, I let him pick a container and got out of the way. (Sort of. I did backseat-saute a little bit.)



Emery is a big fan of greens. In fact, he grativates toward greens. The first dish he ever made on his own was Anita Loh-Yien Lau's Asian greens soup. And have you seen his spinach fried rice with furikake? We've been eating that one a lot lately.

Emery's cooking style runs more Asian than mine. Tonight's mustard greens got a few cloves of garlic and a healthy dash of dark soy sauce, plus a pinch each of salt and sugar. He fried the garlic nice and brown, which I love. These were mustard greens after my own heart.

The lesson (mostly talking to myself here): Relinquish control and let your kids cook. Let them experiment. And teach them to clean up after themselves. In all respects, they'll probably surprise you.
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Emery's mustard greens with fried garlic
Sturdy mustard greens take a trip to Asia with fried garlic, dark soy sauce and a pinch of sugar. Dark soy sauce adds a rich flavor without too much liquid, but if you can't find it use regular soy sauce. Recipe created by Emery Kerekes, my 13-year-old son (and a very respectable chef for a teenager).
Ingredients
  • 1 tsp grapeseed or canola oil
  • 4 cloves fresh garlic, chopped (not too small)
  • 1 7-ounce package prepared Cut 'n Clean mustard greens (or 1 bunch mustard greens, leaves only, washed and chopped)
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tsp dark soy sauce (substitute 2 tsp regular soy sauce)
  • pinch of sugar
  • pinch of salt
Instructions
Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the oil and the garlic and stir-fry the garlic until it starts to brown, about 1 minute. Add the mustard greens, water and soy sauce. Cover the pan and steam the greens about 3-4 minutes. Uncover the pan, add the sugar and salt, and stir to combine. Serve immediately.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 4-6 servings

3 comments:

Mari Nuñez said...

I love these mustard greens, I make them without the soy sauce, but for the next time I prepare it I will include it. I am sure it will taste better.

Erika Kerekes said...

I don't usually like soy in my greens either, but I let the budding chef decide - and it was really good!

Patti at Worth The Whisk said...

Emery is one of my favorite 13-year-olds, and I can tell his recipe is delicious. You are a good mom for talking yourself into sharing your space, as it's obvious he loves that space, too.

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