Sauteed Mizuna with Garlic and Fish Sauce Recipe

You may have seen mizuna, a member of the mustard family, at Asian and health food markets. Indigenous to Japan, the greens have both a long growing season and a high tolerance for cold weather, which makes them easy to grow.

Mizuna's taste is peppery like arugula and slightly bitter like frisée, yet it's milder and sweeter than either of these more commonly found salad greens. Mizuna is usually not eaten raw in Japan—instead, it's pickled, stir-fried, simmered, and added to hot pot dishes.

With its crisp stalks and beautiful frond-like leaves, mizuna is a wonderful addition to salads, especially where frisée is normally used, such as the classic frisée aux lardon. Mizuna is not only cheaper than frisée, but you can eat the whole thing—the stems are mild and sweet. With frisée, you have to trim the bitter green ends.

When mizuna is sautéed, it retains its juiciness and sops up much of the flavoring liquid you may use, such as stock or soy sauce. Try it with a bit of ponzu or lemon, both of which complement the slight bitterness of the leaves.