Senposai
is an asian cross between cabbage and mustard greens. It has a
pleasant flavor, and works best in soups or stir fries.
Melum
--
Susantha's recipe from
Sri Lanka courtesy anchorrunfarm.com
Use the greens
interchangeably; preparation takes a few extra minutes, but since
the recipe takes only a couple of minutes to cook, it is still
fast. Also, with such brief cooking, the nutrients stay at optimal
levels.
1 bunch kale, senposai
and/or Swiss chard
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp unsweetened dried coconut
1 Tbsp canola oil
Optional: 1 hot pepper, 1 small onion, 1/8 tsp turmeric
Rinse off the greens in
cold water. Remove the stems but don't throw them out. Make a pile
with the leaves and cut in half. Double up the pile and cut again.
You should now have a tall pile of greens that fit in your hand.
Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the pile into tiny slivers
(1/8"). This takes 5-10 minutes so be patient and watch out
for your fingers! Now you need to soften up the stems. Turn your
knife over and using the handle, bang along the length of the
stems. Now put the stems together and chop into tiny pieces.
Combine with the leaves. Put the greens into a medium size bowl.
Add salt, coconut and optional ingredients. Mix gently with a
spoon or your hands for a minute or two. Heat up the oil in a
medium sized skillet. Add greens and cook for 1-2 minutes, mixing
constantly to cook evenly. Susantha says "Cook until it
smells good!"
GREENS
AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS
"Caramelized onions add a sweet
note to the greens, and capers and kalamata olives a salty bite in
this simple dish."
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 bunch Greens (Senposai, Swiss chard, etc…) rinsed and chopped
1/4 cup kalamata olives
2 tablespoons capers
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt,
or to taste
freshly ground black pepper to
taste
1 lemon, juiced
In a cast iron skillet, cook onions
in olive oil over medium-high heat until they begin to brown. Stir
in brown sugar, and continue cooking for a few minutes.
When onions are brown and tender, stir in chard and
olives. Cook until chard is slightly wilted. Stir in capers and
salt, and continue cooking until chard is completely wilted, about
3 minutes. Season with black pepper and squeeze lemon over the
top.