Cooking greens is a great way to consume large amounts of leafy vegetables by seasoning them and making them last longer. Cooked greens have a longer shelf life than raw greens and are easier to consume.
This recipe is a south Indian style stir fry that is quick to cook and can be eaten with rice or bread or added to a grain bowl with some cucumbers and tomatoes.
The same process can also be used to cook other vegetables like shredded cabbage, green beans or a mix of all with a handful of peas.
I like to thinly shred the greens before cooking for a shorter cooking time. Try to use hearty greens (and not spinach) so they retain their shape.
|
Mild |
Medium |
Spicy |
|
|
4 |
4 |
4 |
cups packed greens (I used kale for this recipe) |
|
1 |
1.5 |
2 |
teaspoon mustard seeds |
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
tablespoon chopped curry leaves |
|
1/4 |
1/4 |
1/2 |
teaspoon turmeric powder |
|
2-4 |
2-4 |
2-4 |
tablespoon skinned lentils (urad dal in this recipe) |
|
1/4 |
1/4 |
1/4 |
teaspoon asafoetida |
|
1/2 |
1/2 |
1/2 |
teaspoon salt |
|
1/2 - 3 |
1/2 - 3 |
1/2 - 3 |
teaspoon finely chopped chilies |
|
1/4 |
1/4 |
1/2 |
shredded coconut |
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large pan (enough to accommodate 4 cups of greens).
- Once the oil is hot, add the turmeric and mustard seeds.
- Add chopped chilies, curry leaves and asafoetida. If you are using milder chilies, add up to ½ cup.
- Once the mustard seeds start sputtering, add the washed and dried lentils and salt.
- Stir the lentils cook until they turn light brown.
- Add the greens and mix the spices with the greens, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes depending on the greens used. Lower cooking time for spinach.
- Add shredded coconut after the greens are cooked and mix thoroughly.
- You can squeeze a bit of lime for a tangier taste.
The same procedure can be used to cook a variety of vegetables Remember to tightly pack the vegetables to measure 4 cups.
|
Vegetables |
Other additions |
Tempering |
Chiles |
Toppings |
|
Kale |
1/4 cup onions |
Mustard seeds |
Small green chiles |
Fresh shredded coconut |
|
Swiss chard |
1/4 cup scallions |
Turmeric powder |
Jalapenos |
Chopped nuts |
|
Collard greens |
1/4 cup leeks |
Aesofteida |
Shishito peppers |
|
|
Cabbage |
1/4 cup green onions |
Curry leaves |
Banana peppers |
|
|
Green beans |
1 tsp garlic |
Lentils |
|
|
|
Cabbage+green beans |
1 tsp ginger |
Cummin seeds |
|
|
|
Green beans + carrots |
|
Nigella seeds |
|
|
|
Green beans + carrots+peas |
|
|
|
|
|
Beets |
|
|
|
|
|
Combination any of the above |
|
|
|
|
- The grid above is to provide options if you don’t like any of the items. Remember to follow the mild, medium and spicy guidelines from the recipe.
- Other additions are completely optional. If you like the taste of onions or onions like vegetables go ahead and put them in after the seeds have spluttered.
- I didn’t include onions in this recipe and added a bit more lentils because that’s how I like it.
- In this recipe, the tempering adds the true flavor, especially mustard seeds and curry leaves. If you don’t find curry leaves you can use bay leaves in a pinch, but the taste will be different.
- You can increase the quantity of green chilies to suite your taste. In this recipe, I added a tablespoon of finely chopped small green chilies which were quite spicy.