Kale Chutney - Kale Thovaiyal or Thogayal Recipe

I hope all of you hanging in there. What has worked for me personally is to not watch the news. If you live in the so you know what I am talking about. I have avoided drinking bleach, Lysol and shining ultra violet rays down my gut :)

This is a time for looking inward mostly (what else is there you all ask? True!) and eat good food - by good I mean simple but healthy, exercise and try to listen to positive things. I am not trying to sound cheerful in this time of anxiety, lockdown fatigue and in general a sense of loss but staying positive helps you overcome this situation. Not easy as it seems and there are certainly down days. Listen to or reading articles where people are talking positive things most certainly helps.

I am shameless when it comes to food. I dream of food all the time. Yes! Along with this cones a great sense of gratefulness that I can afford to do so. I try not to listen to politicians who have absolutely no clue, especially here in the US.

It does not hurt to have access to farm fresh produce. This enables us to eat healthy and also reminds us every single day that we as human beings need to be connected to the earth and respect it. I am not sure how it is for you all. We have not gone restaurants for a good 3 months now. We ordered pizza once a couple of weeks ago but during this whole time we have had simple foods and it has not been boring. I cannot imagine wanting to eat pizza or a restaurant meal every single day. Simple foods satiate you. I can't say that of these junky meal foods. They make me thirsty at night and want to drink bottle loads of water. Who wants that? While I feel bad for the workers who have lost their jobs I am not sure having a business model around feeding people bad food is a good thing? Maybe change the kind of food that is served? I am glad I don't have to make that decision.

Spring time is great for greens. The greens grown when the weather is still cold are sweeter than their summer time counterparts. While all these years I normally stir fry kale or use them in dals and sambhar. A friend suggested making a thick chutney or thogayal as it is called. I am not turning back. Absolutely delicious. With a very few ingredients it can't be simpler. This recipe can be made with any greens you have on hand, amaranth, manthakkali (nightshade), radish greens, spinach or swiss chard. Each one will bring a slightly different taste but all good.

Recipe in pictures,

In a sauté pan, add oil, add the urad dal, coriander seeds, cumin and peppercorn. Let the dal turn brown.
Add the green chilies, sauté for a minute and add the leaves and sauté till they wilt.
Transfer the contents to a blender jar and add the grated coconut.
Let cool and blend to a coarse paste.

The health benefits of greens are many so if you get hold of any greens try to make this chutney.

Kale Chutney - Kale Thovaiyal
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients

1. 3-4 cups of loosely packed kale
2. 1/2 tbsp. urad dal
3. 4-5 green chilies
4. 1/4 tsp of coriander seeds
5. a few pepper corns
6. a pinch of cumin seeds
7. small grape size piece of tamarind
8. salt to taste
9. 1 tbsp. of fresh or grated coconut
10. 1 tbsp. of roasted peanuts (optional)
11. 2 tsp of oil

Method

1. In a wide mouthed pan add oil, add the urad dal, coriander seeds, pepper corn and cumin seeds. When the urad dal starts to brown add in the green chilies sauté for a couple of minutes.
2. Add in the kale leaves and sauté till they wilt (about 4-5 minutes). Add the tamarind and salt.
3. When the leaves are completely cooked add the coconut and peanuts if using.
4. Sauté for a minute and then turn off the heat.
5. Let cool and transfer to a blender and blend to a coarse paste without adding any water.

The chutney is great with steamed rice or even with idli and dosai.

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