Purple and golden frills
Brassica juncea
Other names:
Mustard greens
Similar to:
Red giant mustard greens, mizuna
A quick introduction
Purple and golden frills are two varieties of spicy asian greens that we usually grow together. Sometimes we make mixed bunches of both the green and purple variety and sometimes we choose only one colour. They grow well in spring and fall and can be eaten raw when the leaves are still young and tender. We sometimes bunch frills but you can also find them bagged. Sometimes we'll add it to a salad mix. When the frills start to bolt, pretty yellow flowers appear. We usually still add a last bunch of flowering frills to the box in late spring as the flowers are perfectly edible. Do check for tougher parts of the stem and discard those!
Storage
As with all Asian greens we recommend washing purple and golden frills in cold water (we do pre-wash them at the farm), then dry them and store in a closed container in the fridge. This way they will keep for almost a week.
Season
Spring and fall
Suggestions for preparation
We like to use frills in Asian stir-fries. The younger leaves are tender and taste mustardy and can be used raw in salads. In fall, we like to make a radicchio and frills salad with honey, apple vinegar and good olive oil. The sweetness of this dressing tames the mustardy taste of the frills and the bitterness of the radicchio and brings it all together in a simple but mouth-watering salad. Whenever you find a bunch of flowering frills in your CSA basket, always check the stems and discard the tougher parts.
Recipes
Vegan Saag paneer (we also got this nice recipe for saag paneer as a recommendation from one of our members, it van be made with all kinds of different greens)
Use frills instead of spinach in this bean soup with garlic and rosemary
Pasta with beans and greens (replace the kale with frills and reduce the cooking time a little)
Japanese blanched greens
A tip from one of our members: “Purple frills and mizuna are delicious combined or on their own in a delicious dish we have concocted in our household. The tangy flavours are a great combo with (sustainable) grilled salmon. Usually we get a piece of salmon and grill it in the oven with some garlic and onions. Then, lay it on a bed of mizuna/purple frills and top it with a mustard & apple cider vinegar dressing. For a vegan version I use the same mustard-y dressing and combine slices of artichoke, pear and avocado and top with seeds of choice…”