Collards Sri Lankan style
In Sri Lanka we make a lot of greens into what's called mallum or mallung which is essentially cooked or fresh greens with coconut. You can find frozen, grated, unsweetened coconut at Bestworld in Mt.P or at Indian grocery stores in the burbs. In a pinch, you can also rehydrate the grated dried coconut from the fancier organic stores.
- 10-12 leaves collard greens
- 1/4 cup grated coconut (unsweetened) thawed
- 1/4 cup onion or 1 shallot minced
- 1/2 inch piece of ginger peeled & minced/grated
- green chili (Jalapeno or Thai Bird's Eye) minced
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
Lay each collard leaf on a cutting board and use a pestle or the back of a knife to smash the stem part of the collard. This will make it easier for the harder stem to cook. You can be pretty aggressive!
Take each leaf (with stems smashed) and lay them on top of each other....I usually do about 5 leaves at a time. Then roll them up like a yoga mat nice and tight and slice very very thin. You want the little ribbons to be as thin as possible so that they cook nicely. If the collard stems are really long, you might have a pile of finely chopped stems with no leaf bits attached--put those aside to cook separately.
Heat coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and chili to the warm oil and cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions are translucent. If you have diced stems set aside, add them at this time.
Add in the sliced collards and stir frequently. They will turn bright green and start to wilt (about 2-3 minutes).
Finally, add the thawed (I do 20 sec in the microwave) coconut and stir to combine. You want to heat everything through, but don't cook the coconut too long or else the oils/milk of the coconut will come out.