I have posted smoothies with kale and also kale chips. But never used in dals and stir-fry. Last time when we visited Preethi’s place, she served kale chole. :-) It was a unique combination but we liked it, and that’s when I decided to use it in Indian cooking too. As we love the kale chips, I thought of preparing stir fry / dry curry first. I tried it right away with simple spices. Then gave it a try in IP and now this has become a staple and a keeper recipe for sure. :-) I always prefer baby kale as it’s comparatively tender than the regular kale and taste wise it’s mild. Nutritionally, they are pretty much the same. Coming to the nutrition point, kale is known for its lutein content which is very much required for eye health. Kale’s glucosinolates lend comprehensive support for the body’s detoxification system and needless to say about Vitamin K, A and C content in kale. No wonder kale is one among the nutrient dense food in the earth. :-) Here comes the simple Instant pot kale stir fry recipe. Ingredients
Oil – 2 tsps Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp Cumin Seeds – 2 tsp Red Chili Powder – ½ tsp Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp Salt – 1 tsp Shallots – 5 Baby Kale – 10 oz packet Water – 2 tbsps
Prep Work:
Wash the kale and remove the hard stems if any. Peel the shallots and chop them.
Steps:
Set the Instant Pot in sauté mode. And once it’s hot, add the oil. Then add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. As they start to splutter add the chopped shallots and cook it for a couple of minutes.
Now add the kale, turmeric powder, and half the salt.
Sprinkle some water and mix well. (I know its hard to mix 10 oz. Kale in that pot. Just mix as much as you can) Now change the Instant Pot mode to Manual / Pressure Cook and set the cooking time for 1 minute. Once the steaming is done and as soon as the IP beeps, quickly and carefully release the pressure.
Once the pressure is all gone, open the lid and set it to saute mode again. Now add the remaining salt and red chili powder and mix well.
Let it cook in saute mode for 2 to 3 minutes, and that’s it.
Healthy Kale stir fry is ready.
Notes:
Stove Top Method: Heat a pan or kadai and add oil. Once the oil is hot, do the tempering and add the kale and dry spices. Sprinkle water and cover and cook for 2 minutes until the kale shrinks and becomes tender. Make you are stirring it frequently. Then remove the lid and cook until the water is all evaporated. Instead of red chili powder, dried red chilies can be used too. For this measure, 3 to 4 red chilies would be sufficient. You can add the salt after the steaming process. When I first tried this in IP, I added salt and spices before steaming and realized that it didn’t mix properly. So I started to follow this way. Two to three cloves of garlic can be included too. Spices of your choice can be added. For my kale chips, I added sambar powder, so for this stir fry, you can add curry powder or sambar powder. This recipe is just a basic version. Adjust salt and spice as per your preference.
📖 Recipe
