One of the vendors at my local farmers’ market got me hooked on this dish — Indonesian-style collard greens or gulai sayur. With nearly 2 pounds of collard greens it packs a punch nutritionally. That being said, taste is just as important in my book as a dish’s nutritional makeup. It has to taste good, bottom line.
And, I never thought collard greens could taste so good.
The key step to making this dish, is to first create an aromatic paste of ginger, garlic, turmeric, shallots and chile (which can be done in the food processor). Next, the paste is cooked until fragrant, before the collard greens are added and stewed slowly in coconut milk. Perhaps the only laborious step is slicing up all the greens, but from there it’s an easy one pot dish.
The dish is a little bit spicy from the bird’s eye chiles, a little bit sweet from the palm sugar (I kept the sugar to a minimum, I don’t like things overly sweet), and seasoned with sea salt so that all the flavors are well balanced. The lemongrass adds a nice floral note and the coconut milk adds richness.
While all the individual components are not new to me, they’re prepared in such a way, that when all the flavors come together, it definitely checks my box for new and interesting.
You can also try this dish with other sturdy greens, such as kale, beet greens, broccoli rabe, sweet potato leaves, etc. Traditionally, this dish is made with cassava leaves.
Will definitely be making this again!
First, make the paste — turmeric, shallots, garlic, bird’s eye chiles and ginger — in a food processor makes it easy.
Stem and thinly slice all the greens. Stacking the leaves, makes for easy choppping.
Some other ideas for collards greens…
Gomen (Ethiopian collard greens)
Caldo Verde (Portuguese green soup)
Indonesian-Style Collard Greens
Adapted from Saveur
1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
7 small shallots, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2-3 red or green Thai bird’s eye chiles, minced (more or less depending on desired heat level)
1 (3″) piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
2 stalks lemongrass
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 teaspoon palm or coconut sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 (14-oz.) can unsweetened coconut milk
2 pounds collard greens (around 3 large bunches), stems removed, leaves cut crosswise into thin strips
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Combine the turmeric, shallots, garlic, chiles and ginger in a food processor and purée, adding a tablespoon or two of water, to form a smooth paste; set aside. Trim the tip and root ends of the lemongrass stalks and remove any tough outer leaves. Using a meat mallet (back of a chef’s knife, wooden spoon, etc.), smash the lemongrass to flatten and tie into a knot.
Heat the oil in a 6-quart pot over medium-low heat. Add the paste and lemongrass. Cook, stirring often, until very fragrant, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Add the sugar, salt, and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the collards greens and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 40 minutes. Remove the lemongrass. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.
