Collard Stirfry

Stir fry with greens is a healthy way to include them in our diet. One has just got to chop them up and toss it with a few Indian seasonings and spices and cook for a few minutes till done. A bunch of greens (compared to those available in US grocery stores) stir-fried will yield two servings. Collard greens can be chopped finely or the way u chose. I like some texture to my stir-fried greens compared to finely chopped greens sticking together.

Ingredients:
1 bunch collard chopped
3 garlic cloves smashed and sliced
1 small onion chopped
2 green chilly(Indian variety)
2 tbsp shredded frozen coconut or dry coconut
1/2 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp Split black gram/urad
1/2 tsp channa dal
1 dry red chilly
1/4 tsp cumin seeds (optional)
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder


Method:
1.Heat a pan with 1 tsp of oil. Add red chilly,mustard, urad, channadal and cumin. Once mustard splutters , urad and channa turns slightly brown,add curry leaves. The flavor from curry leaves will come out immediately. Add garlic and saute well.

2.Now add onion and green chillies and cook till onion is translucent.Add chopped greens. Saute well and then add salt and turmeric powder. Mix the greens and spices together.

3.Cook 7 to 10 minutes or until done, closing a lid partially.Now add Shredded coconut,mix well with the greens and cook for 3-5 minutes and remove from heat.

Note:
a.Coconut adds a lot of flavor to the greens. Add more if u want.One can add bite sized coconut pieces too, to give a crunchy texture.

b.Garlic can be avoided. Make sure you add Hing, in that case to compensate the flavor

c.Traditionally we don't add cumin seed to the greens stir-fry. Cumin is good for our body type. so we include cumin seeds, depending on the moment and mood.

We had collard stir-fry as a side dish to Kohlrabi sambar and rice for today's lunch. With a fruit, its a balanced meal!!