Can healthy vegetables taste good?
Kale Yeah!!
I always used to avoid eating kale due to its bitter taste and now it is one of the best kale salads I enjoy. The Asian kale salad was always a side dish for me, but eventually my dad and I found ourselves eating the whole bowl of kale salad for dinner.
Every time I toss up this salad when I have guests over, I’m left with several requests for the Asian kale salad recipe. This is the best kale salad you can think of. A simple healthy salad, full of bright and bold flavours, it’s crunchy, sweet, spicy, savoury, healthy and satisfying! It makes for the perfect lunchbox to carry along with you to work or for a picnic as it does not get soggy.
This is the easiest Asian kale salad you can toss up in less than 15 minutes! All you have to do is chop up the ingredients and toss it up with the asian dressing recipe. It’s easy to make and full of asian flavours. It only took me one bite to fall in love with it! This vibrant, simple healthy salad is great served as a main dish, side dish or even as a takeaway for a day out!
What does massage kale mean?
Raw kale is a tough, chewy and bitter leaf. It is not enjoyable to eat the leaf as it is. Massaging the kale assists with breaking down the extreme cell structure giving the kale a milder texture and a gentle flavour. The enhanced flavour is more appealing in salads and is also easier to digest.
When to massage kale?
The need to massage kale leaves only comes when you are using big chunky pieces of the leaves and have to serve them immediately. The dressing used for the salad can be used to massage the kale leaves.
If the leaves are being chopped into thin pieces or you are not serving your salad immediately then the citric acid in your dressing such as vinegar or lemon juice will break down the cell structure. The citric acid will break down the cell structure the same massaging the kale would.
How to massage kale?
Start by deboning the kale leaves. Get the stems out as they are fibrous and tough which are not required. Simply just rip them off by running your fingers on each side of the stem. Now, transfer the leaves in a large bowl with a pinch of salt, splash of vinegar and some lemon juice. Gently crunch the leaves between your palms and start to massage them gently. Keep rubbing them between your fingers until they start to wilt. Try tasting the leaves as that’s the best technique to tell if you have reached the point. The leaves should have a nice crunch to them and at the same time not be chewy.
The catch here is to not over massage the leaves. This would ruin the texture of the leaves, leaving them all mushy!
The Asian Kale Salad Dressing
The asian salad dressing is my all time favourite. It is easy to make and you can store it for weeks! You can use this salad dressing in leafy salads or noodle salads. Or you can simply use it as an asian marinade for your steamed vegetables or a stir fry. It literally takes 5 minutes to make this dressing full of asian flavours.
The salad dressing includes the usual pantry staples such as olive oil, honey, soya sauce, vinegar and mustard. Just simply whisk all the ingredients together and store it for up to 3 weeks! To finish, sprinkle a handful of roasted crushed peanuts! Hope you enjoy this simpler version of the Asian sesame dressing!
Asian Kale Salad
Course: Salads, VegetarianDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes15
minutesThis is the easiest Asian kale salad you can toss up in less than 15 minutes!
Ingredients- Dressing
2 tbsp olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp light soya sauce
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
Rock salt to taste
- SALAD
3 cups kale, shredded
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup shredded purple cabbage
1 cup carrot, peeled and grated
1 large sliced red bell pepper
1 large sliced yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup onion sliced
2 tsp roasted peanuts
Directions
- In a small pan over medium heat, add olive oil. After the oil is heated add the chopped garlic and sauté for a few minutes.
- When the oil is fragrant, remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Once cooled, pour the garlic and olive oil mixture into a small bowl. Add the rest of the dressing ingredients. Whisk together till properly combined. Keep aside.
- Prepare the chopped kale by placing it in a large bowl along with 1 tsp olive oil. Massage it gently until tender.
- Add the rest of the salad ingredients in the bowl and mix together.
- Drizzle over the Asian salad dressing, mix together until well combined.
- Sprinkle a handful of roasted peanuts and serve.
Make sure to try the Green Pea and Peanut Quinoa!
