Mustard Green Shrimp Stir-Fry

Related to kale, cabbage, and other cruciferous vegetables, frilly and peppery-flavoured mustard greens are commonly used in Asian cuisine. Hence, a good place to track them down is at an Asian market. When cooked, mustard greens lose some of their peppery bite. You can also slice the stalks and place them in the pan along with bell pepper.

Look for shrimp from North America, which is generally a more sustainable choice than Asian shellfish. Chewy barley is a wonderful alternative to rice as a base for this stir-fry. As with all stir-frying, make sure you have all your ingredients ready at hand to go into the pan.

1 cup (250 mL) pearl barley
1/2 cup (125 mL) orange juice
1 Tbsp (15 mL) reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp (15 mL) sesame oil 
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp (10 mL) minced fresh ginger
2 tsp (10 mL) cornstarch
1/4 tsp (1 mL) dried red chili flakes
1 Tbsp (15 mL) grapeseed oil or other oil of choice
1 lb (450 g) large shrimp, peeled 
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 large bunch mustard greens, roughly chopped (about 6 cups/1.5 L)
1 Tbsp (15 mL) sesame seeds

Bring pearl barley and 2 1/2 cups (625 mL) water to a boil in medium-sized saucepan. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until tender, about 35 minutes. Drain any excess water and set aside, covered.

Meanwhile, in small bowl, whisk together orange juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, cornstarch, and chili flakes. Set aside.

Heat oil in wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook until they just turn pink, about 3 minutes. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.

Add red bell pepper slices to skillet and cook until slightly tender, about 2 minutes. Add mustard greens, in 2 to 3 batches, and cook until wilted. Return shrimp to pan along with sauce and heat until sauce has slightly thickened.

Serve mustard green-shrimp mixture overtop barley and garnish with sesame seeds.

Serves 4.

Each serving contains: 412 calories; 31 g protein; 9 g total fat (1 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 51 g total carbohydrates (5 g sugars, 11 g fibre); 407 mg sodium

Good for you: Cruciferous vegetables such as mustard greens are known to be well-endowed with glucosinolates. In the body, glucosinolates are converted to compounds that rev up detoxification enzymes to protect our cells from free-radical damage.

source: "Hearty Winter Greens", alive #375, January 2014