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Incorporate more dark leafy greens in your life with nutty sesame kale. This tasty side dish pairs well with a sandwich or wrap. It also works beautifully in a brown rice bowl.
When I first started cooking in earnest, it was a rude awakening. Who knew that cooking would take so much longer than eating?
Prior to that point, my meals involved sandwiches, salads, quesadillas, and frozen pizzas. Eating took about the same amount of time on task as cooking. Then when I was around 23 or 24, a friend suggested that we each make one new recipe every week from a cookbook.
Unlike the overflowing cookbook collection I have today, back then I had a few random cookbooks I’d been gifted, like church and school cookbooks, or ones I’d picked up in the sale section of Barnes and Noble.
I remember the first dish that I made for the two of us was some kind enchilada platter that took 40 minutes to an hour to make. We were done eating in 15 minutes, and I felt kind of cheated.
All of that time on task, and now it’s time to wash the dishes?
Since then, my expectations have changed. It doesn’t take me by surprise if making dinner takes 40 minutes, and if somehow for a household of two, we are always doing dishes. But there are plenty of times when I want to eat something healthy, filling, and delicious and have it be fast too.
That’s where today’s side dish, sesame kale, comes in.
Sesame kale
This recipe was inspired by a to-go salad I like to pick up at my local grocery store. They have a few salads that are available for grab and go, but the sesame kale is my favorite. It’s the perfect side dish with a half sandwich for lunch.
The only problem is the cost. The price of a small container is a little high. So I decided to recreate it at home, and I have to say, I nailed it. Plus, it comes together in way less time than it would take to go to the grocery store and pick up a pre-made package.
How to make sesame kale
Part of what makes this dish so quick is that no chopping is required. Just pull the kale leaves off the stem, and stuff the kale into a steamer pot. After a few minutes, rinse the kale with cool water, and then squeeze out the liquid with your hands.
Both the steaming and squeezing the water out afterwards make the kale shrink, making chopping wholly unnecessary. The kale will already be in bite-sized pieces. If you’ve been wanting to pack more dark leafy greens into your diet, this is a great way to do it, because there’s so much kale in every bite.
If you’re one of those people who shies away from kale, because it is too bitter or tough for you, this is your answer. The mild kale goes down deliciously easy by the forkful.
With the nutty flavors of toasted sesame oil, sesame seeds, and the salty/sour tang of tamari and brown rice vinegar, the balanced flavors make this a side dish that’s not only healthy but tasty too.
Even better, it only gets better with time as the kale softens and absorbs the flavors. So it’s a great one to pack for lunch or to just have waiting in the refrigerator for when hunger strikes.
In addition to serving as a side dish with a sandwich or wrap, it also works beautifully in a bowl. Try it instead of spinach in my bulgogi tofu bowl.
Or replace the kale chips in my baked tofu & brown rice bowl with it instead. Plus, the tahini sauce in that bowl goes delightfully well with this kale. It’s like they were made for each other.
Sesame Kale
Ingredients
- 1 bunch curly kale removed from ribs (roughly 5 cups)
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 3/4 teaspoon brown rice vinegar
- 3/4 teaspoon tamari
- 1 clove garlic minced
- pinch salt
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
Instructions
- Fill a pot with steamer insert with about an inch of water. Bring to a boil. Put kale in steamer insert and cover with lid. Steam for 3 to 5 minutes, until the kale is bright green.
- Either in the steamer insert itself or a colander, rinse the kale with cool water. Using your hands, squeeze all of the water out of the kale. It will make a ball of kale about the size of a tennis ball.*
- Once the kale is mostly dry, move it to a mixing bowl. Add the sesame oil, brown rice vinegar, tamari, garlic, and salt to the kale. Using your hands, rub those ingredients into the kale until the kale has separated from the ball and is evenly coated. Add the sesame seeds to the kale and combine. Eat right away, or for best results, put the kale in a covered container in the refrigerator for at least an hour to absorb the flavors and further soften.
Bianca says
Yum! I was planning to have a side of kale tonight with some pasta that I’m making, but I was probably just gonna make my usual garlic kale. I’ll try this instead! I love kale & sesame flavors together!
Cadry says
Thanks, Bianca! I love sesame and kale together too. They balance each other nicely.
johanna @ Green Gourmet Giraffe says
I have been eating a great kale salad lately which makes me want to buy more kale so thanks for another quick kale dish – I love sesame flavours. And I think I was so keen to cook when I moved out of home that I have never resented the time needed for cooking but there are days now that I am so busy it is hard to find the time.
Cadry says
That’s really interesting that you were looking forward to cooking when you left home. Why was that? Was it just because you loved cooking or because you were looking forward to cooking different things that your parents typically did?
Veganopoulous says
Kale and sesame is a wonderful combination, I love it 🙂
Cadry says
Thanks, Faye! I love kale and sesame together too.
Susan says
This looks so simple and good. I normally saute kale, but that other day my mum said it was tough on her teeth, so perhaps this steaming and squeezing would make it softer for her? I will try. 🙂
Cadry says
Thanks, Susan! I think it would absolutely make it softer for her. With the steaming and squeezing, it has a texture that is similar to cooked spinach. Let me know how it goes!
Mae says
I love everything about this post! I have been trying really hard lately to commit to only making quick meals on work nights, as I often spend WAY too much time in the kitchen. “Who knew that cooking would take so much longer than eating?” haha so true!! Also, I think this might curb my craving for that seaweed salad that you can get at Japanese restaurants. Thanks for sharing, I can’t wait to try it!
Cadry says
Oh, my gosh! I know what you mean. It can be so hard to limit time in the kitchen. I work from home most days, and there are days that I realize I suddenly blasted through an hour of my workday by cooking. It’s hard when you love something not to get lost in it. I hope you enjoy the recipe. Let me know how it goes!
Becky Striepe says
How funny! I never thought to compare eating time to cooking time, but that makes so much sense. Love this quick and easy kale recipe!
Cadry says
Thanks, Becky! 😀
Kristina says
Mmm, I already know I love this! one of my favorite ways to make kale chips is with a miso sesame coating – I usually eat half before getting them in the oven 😉
Cadry says
Oh, that sounds great! Do you have a recipe for that on your blog? I’ll have to go take a peek!
sam steven says
I love this idea! Can’t wait to try it.