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Although I have embraced the fact that I have now crossed-over into 30-somethingdom, my diet has not caught up. With age, my body is clearly not as forgiving when I've had a few too many glasses of wine. The idea of taking multi-vitamins has been hanging over my head for a while now, with no actual follow-through. Oops.

I went to the women's doctor yesterday and was handed a pamphlet called Calcium and Vitamin D. The calcium supplements I bought a few years back sits neglected in the pantry. To make up for that, I'd like to share this kale recipe just to prove that I have been getting at least some calcium in my diet -- a half cup of cooked kale has 90mgs of calcium.

Before I started making this recipe, I was honestly kind of confused by kale. It seemed too rough and tough and I didn't like the idea of having to saute it in a bunch of oil. I also didn't want to have to go through the hassle of firing up the oven for a few kale chips. But the deep green was too attractive and I would try all kinds of different recipe. I knew there was something I could do, simply and without a mess. I call this Kale Ohitashi.

INGREDIENTS
1 Bunch of kale
1-1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
Red pepper flakes (optional)

METHOD
1. Cut cores out of each kale leave and cut or tear into bite-sized pieces.

2. Blanch the kale in boiling water for 4-5 minutes. (You can also steam the kale for more nutritiousness).



3. Mix the sesame oil, vinegar and soy sauce in a small bowl and mix together.



4. Drain the kale and rinse with cold water. Shock in ice water. Squeeze out water well.



5. In a big bowl place kale and drizzle soy sauce mixture over it and toss well. Sprinkle red pepper flakes (optional).



6. Serve alongside rice or noodles.

Thanks to the blanching method, I don't have to worry about cleaning up an oily mess or wait to preheat the oven. I can go from prep to cleanup in 20 minutes with this recipe and get a healthy dose of calcium.


Served here with Matsutake Farro

Kale for busy women, hooray!
Column: Japanify
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5 comments

  • I often put it in soup which softens and makes it easy to eat. But this looks good!

    sakura on

  • Hahaha! How did I miss this comment? My mom gave me this all-clad pot. She bought it at some All-Clad outlet in the South Bay. It’s so light weight and I love it. Does kale make you sick? Yeah, boiling does calm the flavor and the texture (it’s lot more tender when boiled).

    Yoko on

  • WHAT IS THAT ALL-CLAD POT? I’ve never seen it and am intrigued. By boiling, does it calm down the flavor? Would it not make me sick?

    Moto on

  • Wow, the addition of shiitake sounds great!

    yoko on

  • Made this, steamed, and threw in some stir-fried shitakes and sesame seeds. Yummm…my family was happy.

    Mehkko on

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