Sri Lankan Kale Mellun ( Healthy 5 ingredient powerhouse)

Kale is a powerhouse super-food.  It is full of beta carotene, vitamin K and C, lutein, antioxidants and rich in calcium.  This Kale side dish is cooked with five simple ingredients and is steamed rather than boiled or fried in oil.

My family (including my kids) loves this dish when we eat our rice and curry meals.  My kids call  it "dinosaur" leaves because anything a dinosaur ate must be cool in their minds.   The funny thing is there really is a Kale variety called Dinosaur Kale.  So, maybe they aren't so far off in their thinking. : )

I used one large bunch of kale in my recipe.  The wonderful thing about Kale is once you steam it, you can put it in a freezer safe bag and freeze it for another meal.  So if you have extras, freeze away.  When you want to use your frozen Kale, just defrost in the microwave or allow to thaw on the counter.

To start, wash the kale leaves with cold water.  Trim off the woody stems because they will be too tough for the dish.  The inner stems are fine.

Do not bother to dry your leaves off, because the water remaining  on the leaves will help along with the steaming process.

The time consuming part of this dish is the cutting process.  Well, if you have a food processor it will be quick and easy.  I just gave my whole kale leaves a chop or two and put them into the food processor.  I pulsed it until the kale was a fine shred.

Tip:  Do your kale in batches and do not over-crowd the food processor.

In a large pan add some diced onion. 

Add your shredded kale to the pan.

Add 1/4 tsp of turmeric (another nutrient powerhouse), 2 Tbs dessicated coconut and  salt to taste.

Do not use the sweetened coconut for baking and desserts.  Dessicated coconut is available at Asian grocery stores.

Mix all the ingredients together and cook on medium heat.  The water on the kale will start the steaming process.  If you feel like you need more water, add a tablespoon at a time.  This is a dry dish, so you don't want any excess liquid.  You want just enough water to steam the dish until the kale is cooked through and the onions are tender.  It took about 15 minutes.  Stir frequently and make sure you don't burn the kale.

This will serve 6-8 people as part of a meal.  This is not a dish you will eat on it's own.  You definitely want to pair Kale Mellun with rice, lentils and other vegetable or meat curries.  Enjoy the dish and enjoy the health benefits.

Example of Rice and Curry Meal

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