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Growing up, I strongly disliked eggplants. Why? Because the school I went to had this habit of adding eggplants to our lunches and the way they added it was just… disrespectful. I swore to myself never to eat ‘that stuff’ again after school. But here I am, sharing my favorite kale recipe with you, and what’s one of the ingredients in it? Yes, eggplant. Eggplants make kale so soft and, combined with carrots, add a ton of flavor to it. This recipe for sautéed kale with eggplant and carrots is so simple and straightforward, and you’re guaranteed to love it.
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Sautéed Kale with Eggplant and Carrots Recipe
Course: VegetarianCuisine: KenyanDifficulty: Medium6
servings30
minutes5
minutes35
minutesThis recipe requires some patience. The carrots and eggplant should cook fully before you add kale for you to attain the perfect texture and taste.
Ingredients
Kale – 3 bunches
Onion – 1 medium
Carrot – 1 medium
Eggplant – 1 medium or ½ of a large one
Cooking oil – ¼ cup
Salt to taste
Directions
- Wash the kale in running water, one leaf at a time. Shake the water off the leaves.
- Remove the thick ends of kale stalks or the whole stalk if you like.
- Chop the kale into small pieces (see instructions on chopping kale below). Finely chopped kale is less tough and chewy.
- Chop the onion into small pieces and put aside.
- Peel and chop the eggplant into small cubes.
- Peel and grate the carrot using the side of the grater for smaller, straightforward grating.
- Heat the cooking oil in a pot or large frying pan. Add onions and fry until slightly brown.
- Add the carrots and eggplant together and add salt too. Fry for about 5 minutes, until the eggplant is mushy, and the oil begins to separate from it. Note: when you first add in the eggplant and carrots, they will absorb all the oil and the pan will look dry. Do not worry, and do not add oil. Just keep sautéing and the carrot-eggplant mix will cook down to a soft mush and release the oil back into the pan.
- Add the kale and cook for about two minutes or until it is all wilted and well-cooked. Use a wooden spatula or any other strong spatula to move and mix the kale as it cooks to ensure even cooking.
- Take it off the heat as soon as it is done and still dark green. Do not let the kale brown as that changes the taste and texture.
- Serve with your favorite dishes (see serving suggestions below).
Recipe Video
Serving Suggestions for Sautéed Kale with Eggplant and Carrots
As a rule of thumb, sautéed kale goes well with a protein and a starch combination. Consider serving it with mac n cheese, ugali, white rice, scrambled eggs, and meats prepared in any way (grilled, baked, stewed, fried, etc.) Here are a few great combinations for this dish.
- Sautéed kale with beef ribs stew and white rice.
- Sautéed kale with chicken stew and ugali
- Sautéed kale with baked pork ribs and ugali.
- Sautéed kale with mac n cheese and baked pork ribs.
- Sautéed kale with scrambled eggs and white rice.
Additional Tips and Instructions for Sautéed Kale with Eggplant and Carrots
- Use the red onions in this recipe for best results.
- For instructions on how to prepare your kale for cooking, e.g., how to remove the kale stalks and chop it in small pieces, visit this link which is another version of the recipe for sautéed kale, and jump to the ‘additional tips and instructions’ section.
- Make sure to peel your eggplant so that it cooks and mashes into a uniform pulp. The eggplant peelings do not mash as well and have a different texture. Also, chopping it into smaller cubes ensures that it cooks down more quickly.
- Adding salt at the same time with carrots and eggplant will help make the eggplant cook down faster (remember that high school chemistry lesson?)
- Grate the carrot into fine pieces so that it cooks down and incorporates well into the dish. Large chunks of carrot will remain intact thus adding a different texture and a degree of sweetness to the dish.
- The cooking oil may seem like a lot, but it is needed to cook down the eggplant and carrots. Otherwise, if you use less oil, the eggplant may remain chunky and crunchy thus messing with the texture as well as the taste of the resulting dish. For a recipe that uses much less oil, and the result is just as delicious, see this sautéed kale recipe which does not include eggplant and carrots.
Handling Leftover Kale
- Leftover kale can be refrigerated for several days in an airtight container. To reheat, serve in a bowl and microwave for a minute or until warm enough (depends on the amount).
- You can also reheat leftover kale on the stovetop. To do so, heat a frying pan or cooking pot on the stove on medium heat. Add the kale and stir for a minute or until warm enough. Do not add oil. If it is too dry, add a tablespoon or two of water to rehydrate.
- Serve leftover kale as you would normally do with any of your favorite dishes.
