There are certain dishes that wow you with their results. This was one of those outcomes. I expected this to be a tasty side dish, but little did I know, I’d end up wanting to eat more kale than the other offerings I made for this night’s dinner. I admit I’m genuinely a kale fanatic, but rarely does it fully outshine the other green-slackers on my plate.
That being said, if you have trouble convincing yourself to eat your greens, this one’s for you. The kale ends up a little saucy, so aside from being a flavorful side, I could see this utilized in all sorts of dishes – from topping burgers to pasta. It’s only a matter of weeks till this leafy green starts popping up in gardens nationwide, so it’s time to get yourself hooked on cooking it up in the kitchen.
Ingredients
- -1 Tbsp. olive oil
- -1 small onion
- -3 large cloves garlic
- -6 oz. sliced portobello mushrooms, cut into 1-inch pieces
- -1 lb. kale, stems removed and cut into strips
- -1/4 cup water
- -1 Tbsp. brown sugar
- -2 1/2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- -2 1/2 Tbsp. curry powder
- -1/2 tsp. plus pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high. Add onions and garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in portobellos and cook until onions are translucent.
- Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix tomato paste, curry powder, brown sugar and salt. Add to skillet.
- Reduce heat to medium, and toss in kale and water. Cook until kale is tender, 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust salt, to taste. Serve.
Welcome! I’m Grace, a photo and food enthusiast with a passion for simple, seasonal & vegetarian meals. 
This sounds delicious. I would never have thought to make a curry dish with kale (or mushrooms, for that matter!). Thanks for the recipe!
This sounds delicious and, with all that lovely kale, you must be able to taste how much good it’s doing to you. Thanks for sharing the great recipe
Oh my goodness!! Definitely trying this one, thanks for sharing
Fantastic – that looks like a really delicious bowl of good, flavourful food. I adore a good curry!
Yum, Yum!! Great way to make kale more interesting especially for folks who aren’t inclined to like kale!! I think they will love this!!
How do you think it would taste without the sugar?
The sugar helps to balance out the tomato paste and curry powder. So while not necessarily essential, it enhances the flavor and eliminates any bitterness. But always feel free to try your own variations!
What would be a good substitution for the brown sugar?
Perhaps you could try a touch of honey, although it might change the flavor slightly. You could also substitute regular sugar. Feel free to play around with it.
Delectable! Whipped this up as I had all the ingredients on hand. Love, love loved it. As for substitude sweetners I like coconut sugar/palm sugar in equal amount as sub for brown sugar. I,too, get tempted to leave sweetners out of this type of recipe, but it really does make a difference in the balance of flavors rather than add a sweet taste to the dish. This dish woke up my tastebuds and is now in my permanant file!
Too much curry. Made it too spicy (not too “hot” but too “full of spice”). Also, do you have any recommendation for what sort of kale to use? I used the standard curly green stuff that comes in the supermarket, but it was much too bitter.
Hi Allison,
This is definitely a flavorful curry dish. If curry isn’t fully your thing, it makes a great pairing to something on the blander side, like brown rice, or as a topping for a burger. I often go for the red kale because that’s what grows best in my garden, but bitterness will vary according to variety.
Wow! I made this for dinner tonight with a slight variation of adding ‘Japanese’ (soft) tofu to the mix for added protein, and it was delicious. Thanks for the creativity! I’m adding this to my repertoire.
Will have to give the soft tofu addition a try!