Fast, fresh and wholesome: Kale mallung

I discovered kale fairly recently. Only a year or so ago. It is not something that is available where I live, so I only sampled it when I was on a trip overseas. I fell in love with it and brought some back home with me. Yes, I flew back on a plane with a bunch of kale. That is how I am. 

I wanted to cook the greens in a simple way that preserved all its superfood nutrients. So I made a mallung. This is a SriLankan style of stir frying with vegetables that includes freshly grated coconut and a few whole spices. I have always liked mallungs but this is not an authentic version. I have simply followed the idea of a mallung and created something that is now a firm favourite with my family.

I serve the mallung with plain rice and a simple curry.

Kale Mallung

Serves 4

large bunch of curly kale (about 300g)

1 tablespoon oil

1 red onion, sliced into half moons

2 curry leaves

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

4 green chillies slit lengthwise

3 teaspoons dried fish (in flakes)

1/2 teaspoon tumeric

1/2 cup grated coconut (use fresh or frozen)

salt

juice of 1 lime

Wash and dry the kale. Finely shred it.

Heat the oil in a large wok. When nearly smoking, add the onions and cook for a few minutes. Throw in the curry leaves, cumin and mustard seeds. When they crackle and pop, add the chillies and fish flakes. Stir in the turmeric and the coconut. Give it a quick stir and add the kale, salt to taste and cover for a minute. This allows the steam to cook the greens. Uncover, mix in the lime juice and you are ready to serve. 

Fragrant cumin rice

Let's begin with basics. Rice. A staple at many meal tables around the world. A food so common where I come from that "to eat lunch/dinner" is often referred to as "to eat rice." 

While there are many varieties of rice now available, my favourite, and most often used is basmati. I like it for its elegant long grains and the delicate texture. I like my rice to remain separate, each grain fluffy and cooked just right. To achieve this, I think two things are important. One, is to wash the rice first until the water runs clear. If I have time, I will sometimes soak the rice for half an hour before cooking. But this is not always possible, and a good wash should be just fine. Second, the proportion of water to rice should be right to achieve the desired texture. I use one part rice to one and a half parts water. If I have soaked the rice prior to cooking, I will use equal parts of water and rice.

I know people who cook their rice much like you would cook pasta - in a large pot with a lot of water and then drain the excess water. I cook my rice covered and on a low heat. Once the water has been absorbed, I turn off the heat and let the pan remain covered for a few minutes before I fluff up the rice. 

While plain rice is the everyday side dish, I like to add different flavourings to it every so often. Fragrant cumin rice is firm favourite in our home.

Fragrant Cumin Rice

Serves 4

2 cups basmati rice

2 tablespoons oil

1 large onion, sliced

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

2 rampe leaves, cut into two inch lengths

salt

3 cups chicken stock

Wash the rice in several changes of water. Drain. Heat oil in a pan, and saute the onions till translucent. Add the cumin seeds and rampe leaves and give it a stir before adding the drained rice. Saute, making sure the grains of rice get coated in the oil. Add salt and the stock. Stir. Then cover with a tight lid and bring to the boil. Once bubbling, turn the heat to the lowest and let the rice cook till all the water has been absorbed. Turn off heat. After a few minutes, uncover and fluff up the rice. Serve hot with a curry or as an accompaniment to grilled/roasted main dish.

If there are any leftovers, they can be stored in the fridge for a few days, or in the freezer for several weeks. To reheat, microwave or heat in a low oven till piping hot.