How To Cook Kale So It'll Never Taste Gross Again
Kale is a leafy green vegetable that is oh-so-delicious. But often people cook it incorrectly and overcooked soggy kale = gross.
So in a bid to make you love the superfood as much as we do, here’s everything you need to know about cooking kale!
How to prepare kale
Stripping the leaves is key as the hard, woody stalk in the centre isn’t particularly pleasant to eat. You can strip the leaves away from either side of the stalk simply by ripping, or by holding the base end of the stalk, you can take a sharp knife and cut either side of the stalk until it’s removed.
You can either discard the stalks, or alternatively, you can save the for stocks and soups if you prefer.
Cooking kale
How to steam kale
This is a really healthy way of cooking kale and retains most of the kale’s natural flavour. To steam, simply rinse your kale leaves under cold water before adding them to a pan, cover and cook on medium heat for 2 minutes.
It’s really important you don’t shake or dry the water off of the leaves before this as that’s what allows the leaves to steam. Drain or pat with a kitchen towel before serving.
How to boil kale
To boil kale, add either whole leaves or chopped leaves to a saucepan and pour over cold water until the leaves are just covered. Bring to the boil and season, then simmer for 4-5 minutes, or until the kale is nicely wilted.
Drain thoroughly, and leave to air dry for a few minutes. After this, you can drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil if you like.
How to stir fry kale
Stir-fried kale is delicious and a great base with some salmon and noodles. To stir fry, we like to cut the kale leaves quite thinly for this – do this by rolling the kale leaves then shredding, a bit like when you chiffonade herbs.
Then, add your chosen oil to a wok or frying pan – rapeseed oil, or even sesame oil is pretty good, then add your kale along with any other spices – chilli flakes, garlic powder or even sumac are all great.
Stir fry for about 3-4 minutes, or until the kale is wilted.
How to oven cook kale
Kale in the oven is good for one thing – and that’s crispy kale! When flavoured properly, this is seriously satisfying crunchy goodness.
To oven cook, simply combine about 500g kale leaves in a bowl with 1tbsp olive oil. Mix to combine and toss in some of your favourite spices – sea salt, light brown sugar and chilli all work nicely. Then bung into a pre-heated oven at 200ºC (180ºC Fan) for 10-12mins, tossing halfway through.
How to eat kale raw
Kale in a salad is surprisingly delicious but it’s important to prep kale properly if you’re going to do this, otherwise, you might be left with slightly bitter, and not very nice to eat leaves.
To eat raw, cut roughly into strips and add to a bowl with 1tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil. Massage the leaves for a good few minutes to break down the fibres and soften them slightly.
Finish with seasoning and a squeeze of ½ lemon.
