Braised Pork Ribs with Heart Mustard Greens

Why people make this dish

Mustard greens are one of those vegetables that get overlooked in the West but are a real workhorse in Chinese cooking. Nourilo admits he used to avoid them as a young man, mistakenly assuming they were cold and unfriendly to the stomach — the opposite is true. Heart mustard greens (the full, round-headed variety) are warm in nature, with a gentle, sweet flavour and much less of the sharp bite of other mustard types. They are in season and abundant, and braised slowly with pan-seared ribs and fragrant garlic, they soak up every bit of flavour in the pan. This is honest, satisfying home food — and one that quietly does your lungs, energy levels, and digestion a favour.