This stir fried South Indian kale salad is going to appeal both to the desi in you and to the avocado-loving, arugula chomping, green goddess (or god) side of you.
I am a health fanatic (no surprise) -> ergo -> I love Kale. So, we get a big batch of Kale without fail (haha, it rhymes) every week. So, I have to rack my head on a constant basis, on using Kale in creative ways. Well, this salad is inspired by the combination of Kannada Palya (greens + dal stir fry) recipe + Sri lankan Mallung (coconut + onion stir fry) recipe.
This salad is grain free, yet has
- Kale greens
- More Veggies
- Shredded coconut + coconut oil for fat
- chana dal for protein
So filling, so satisfying. No rice, no chapathi needed to round out the meal. The only carbs comes from chana dal (my favorite and greatest of all dals)!!
You can also simplify the recipe further by making everything in bulk:
- I cook chana dal in bulk. The rest I store in the refrigerator or just blend it with milk, sugar, elaichi and chill it as a drink for the kids.
- I bulk process the Kale in a food processor and use the shredded, cleaned Kale throughout the week, be it in smoothies, thogayal, saag, etc.
Another point to remember. DO NOT use the spicy chili’s like the one’s in typical South Indian curries or subzis. Why? Because you don’t have the blandness of the rice or the chapathis to soak up the spice. Use lighter chili’s like Byadagi Chilis from Karnataka or Kasmir Red Chilis. These milder chilis provide flavor without setting your tongue on fire!!
Cooking Process Pictures
Recipe
This Stir fried Kale Salad (South Indian Style) has kale, chana dal and coconut. Tasty, healthy and vegan. You have to make this nourishing and satisfying salad ASAP.
- 1/2 bunch Kale
- 1 cup Chopped Onion
- 1 cup Chopped Bell Peppers
- 1/2 cup Chana Dal
- 1/2 cup Shredded Coconut (fresh or frozen)
- Salt (As needed)
- 1.5 tbsp Coconut Oil
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1 tsp Urad Dal
- 1 stem Curry Leaves
- 2-3 Byadagi Chilli
- 2-3 pinches Hing
- Avocados
- Finely chopped tomatoes
- Oven roasted Carrots
- Boiled Peanuts
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Add 1 cup of chana dal with 1.5 cups water and pressure cook for 2-3 whistles. Let the pressure subside naturally. Open cooker. The dal should still have a little crunch and not be mushy.
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Drain the chana dal from the cooking liquid. You may not use all the dal for the recipe. Refrigerate any leftover dal (with drained liquid) to use later.
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Clean Kale. Chop into large pieces and let it run in the food processor until finely shredded. Steam shredded Kale for about 5 minutes and keep aside.
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Add oil to Wok. Add tadka items one by one.
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Add chopped onion and chopped bell pepper to the Wok. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes. You don't want it caramelized. You want the onions to have a little bite/crunch to it. Add a little salt now.
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Take about a ladle or two full of drained chana dal. Give it a good stir for about 2 minutes.
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Add steamed shredded Kale and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Check taste and add salt as needed.
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Add shredded coconut, give it a stir. Switch off the heat.
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Serve in a salad bowl. Top it will chopped tomatoes, avocados or roasted carrots.
Top Notes:
- Chana dal makes this recipe.
- The success of the recipe depends on proportions – make sure you use the right level of kale, chana dal and coconut proportionally to each other.
- Shredded Coconut adds to the yum factor!!
- This salad is so flexible. I threw in some boiled peanuts I had in the refrigerator. Totally optional!!
Conclusion
You can top this salad with whatever – Chopped tomatoes was delicious!! I also think avocados will pair great. Oven roasted carrots, corn, etc. the sky is the limit!! Whatever will go together with a “sundal,” will go great with this recipe.
I have eaten this for lunch and dinner. Very filling. Only tip – don’t store the salad in the refrigerator. Kale gets very tough and weird tasting when cold. It is better at room temperature or served warm.
1 more tip (last one, I promise) – if you have all the components separately, stir fry yourself a small batch just 10 minutes before your meal. It tastes fantastic when made in a small batch (because of higher heat distribution, I imagine).
If you like this Kale Salad recipe, please Pin it, comment below or share this recipe with your friends. Thank you so much for reading, sharing and supporting this blog!!
Looking for other healthy recipes from this blog??
Thanks Swetha. Bought some Kale and was wondering if I should boil and drink. this piece changes that thought. I will be using olive oil and won’t be using coconut though. 🙂
Boil and drink??!! Haha…If so, you are more of a health nut than me!!:)
Olive oil will be a great substitute. I hope you can add other healthy fats instead of the shredded coconut to dial up the oompph factor – avocados, shredded almonds, toasted sesame, etc… Thanks for your comments!!
Thanks for posting this salad recepie. This is what I ended up making https://twitter.com/koolhead17/status/1137568930153689089, also shared it on twitter about your post/blog site. Keep sharing me, helping us.
Best,
*More
Thank you for the shout-out…Super nice of you!!
Hi Swetha,to read recipe only I feel like eating. I will add my weekend grocery list. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome!! Thank you!!