How to nail Kale

Many people hate kale... because they cook it wrong!

Kale is still in season for a few more weeks. It’s both sustainable and full of antioxidants and fibers. Kale’s only problem: So many people cook it wrong, and as a result hate it and think it’s like “eating grass”. So, here’s a post about how to nail kale.

Every week we post a ‘cheat sheet’ about a seasonal, sustainable, healthy, and tasty plant-based veggie, tuber, spice, herb, condiment, or topping, that is core in ‘dish of the week’. This week it’s kale - because it works beautifully in stir-fries, and it incredibly underrated.

Flavor: Kale is a bitter&fresh side-kick

Raw, kale is bitter and fresh. This brings a magical freshness to ingredients that are protein-rich, sweet, sour, and umami. It also makes for a bit of a tough eat if you don’t know how to cook it.

The cheat sheet

To fight kale’s bitter and grassy feel, you DO need to cook it. There’s 3 archetypical ways of cooking it: Raw you should always massage it with oil; 5 minutes of frying/boiling/steaming will make kale sweeter and easier to eat by itself; 15 minutes of roasting will make them into snack-able kale chips.

Home work

Want to try something simple and cool to learn working with kale… try this funky dish: “Kale with kale on it”:

Split your kale in 3 bundles of equal size. Massage the first third, Fry the second third for 5 minutes on a pan with oil and your favorite spice (cumin is good with kale), and roast the last third for 15 minutes in the oven. Now mix the first two bundles, salt to taste, and put the roasted kale chips on top. Bon appetit!