Flowering Kale Stir Fry… it just rolls off the tip of the tongue, doesn’t it? When I found some gorgeous flowering kale at the farmers market I knew I had to put it to good use. And boy was it tasty!
Just look at those beauts! Too perfect.
Stir fry dishes are the best kinds of dishes. 100%. The end.
Sometimes I forget about stir fry. I go weeks and months without. And then I remember, and I think WOW — I need to do this every single week (at least!). It is so easy. You don’t need a fancy wok to do it either (sure, great if you have one, go right ahead!), just a cast iron or stainless steel skillet will do.
Plus, stir fry is great for using up any poor neglected ingredient you’ve got sitting in the fridge. Seriously you could put ANYTHING in there and I bet it’d taste amaze. Waste not want not, right?
On a similar and equally tasty note… remind me to post my kimchi fried rice recipe one day…
Okay, great, thanks!
DIY your sauces, guys!
I’ve purchased the bottled “teriyaki” stuff from the store before and I’m pretty meh about it. It’s usually wayyyy too sweet for my taste. And then it goes to waste in my fridge just like the bottled salad dressings that I no longer buy (read my spiel about those here).
So I make it at home. Really the only time consuming part of this dish is making the sauce because you need to grate ginger and garlic. Wait, that’s not so bad!
So the reasons I’m posting this recipe are two:
- I need to remember to make STIR FRY more often.
- I honestly can’t remember the second reason because I’m salivating over stir fry all over again…
The technique is simple: pan fry veggies in oil over hot hot heat. (Hey, remember that band?) Cook, cook cook, stirring occasionally until they start to char (hellooooo flavor!). Then add sauce, then add rice. Stir stir stir… and DONE. Serve in bowls or plates or whatever and enjoy.
Oh, and also.. I added some chopped raw cashews to the top of this dish because TEXTURE. If you take away nothing else from this post, I hope you see the value in those leftover snacking nuts sitting in your pantry. Throw them in there too! They add the perfect crunchy bite to this dish.
Whatever beautiful veggie you might find at the market could surely be featured in a stir fry. Simple as that.
Happy cooking and happy eating!
A simple stir fry dish perfect and quick for any night of the week. Beautiful flowering kale paired with a zippy homemade sauce and crunchy cashews. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup tamari
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp potato starch (or corn starch)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger (from about a 2" piece, peeled)
- 2 garlic cloves, grated or minced
- 1 bunch flowering kale, tough ends removed and cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 small red onion, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp grapeseed oil (+ more as needed)
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
- 3 cups cooked brown rice
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, roughly chopped
Instructions
- STIR FRY SAUCE: Whisk together the first 8 ingredients in a small bowl, or shake them together in a mason jar. (Store any extra sauce for a marinade, or make more stir fry!)
- ONIONS: Heat grapeseed oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add red onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and slightly charred. Remove from pan and set aside.
- KALE: If necessary, add a bit more oil to the pan. Add enough kale to cover the pan in a single layer. Cook, stirring occasionally until tender and slightly charred. Remove from pan and set aside. Repeat until all the kale has been cooked. Add reserved onions and kale back to the pan. Pour in the sauce (it will sizzle!) and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the brown rice and stir to combine.
- SERVE: Portion evenly into bowls and top with chopped cashews. Enjoy!
Notes
Flowering kale is not unlike broccolini, or broccoli rabe. Just be sure to remove the tough ends and cut into bite sized pieces before you cook it up!
What’s your favorite stir fry veg?
