The collard greens from Gundermann Acres in last week’s Local Box were ENORMOUS. I was a little intimidated by the giant leaves when I unpacked them from the box– they were too large to fit in my crisper drawer! I should have expected as much, since collards are one of the more zaftig cruciferous veggies that flourish in Texas in the winter. The leaves are very large and curvaceous!
Dealing with such a huge green can be challenging– especially when the leaves are too large to fit in you biggest soup pot! The best solution I have found is to chop up the collards very fine, and cook them in a spicy curry.
This curry recipe is an adaptation of Salt & Paprika’s Slow Cooker Chicken Curry, published on Tasty Kitchen. I replaced the chicken in her recipe with chickpeas and collards, and amped up the spice in the curry sauce considerably by adding chilies, cayenne, ginger and turmeric. I also like to use fresh tomatoes in my recipe, instead of a small can of tomato paste, as she suggests.
I didn’t change a thing about Salt & Paprika’s clever preparation method, however: dump all the sauce ingredients in the food processor, whir, and you’re done! Thanks to that shortcut, this meal is prepped in under half an hour every time.
If you’re trying to cut calories, this curry is perfectly delicious on its own. It has a stew-like texture thanks to the soft collards, with nice buttery bites of chickpea throughout. I prefer to serve it over Jasmine rice, with a generous pat of butter. Either way, be sure to garnish the finished curry with plenty of chopped, fresh cilantro.
Slow Cooker Collard Curry (serves 4)
2, 15 oz cans of chickpeas, drained
1-2 pounds collard greens, chopped into very fine ribbons
2 large tomatoes, quartered
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1, 15 oz. can coconut milk
4 oz. can green chilies
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Cilantro to garnish
Place the chickpeas and collards into the slow cooker. In a food processor, blend together tomatoes, onion, coconut milk, chilies, garlic, and dried spices. Pour this mixture over the chickpeas and collards, and stir to combine. Cook on low for 6 hours.
One hour before serving, stir together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Add to the slow cooker and mix well. Cover, and allow to cook undisturbed for the remaining time.
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