Cold Kale with Spicy Peanut Sauce
Yay! New obsession. Recreate the recipe for the best kale in the world. Or at least come up with a delicious and creative kale cooking concept centered around peanuts, spicy, maybe ginger, and a little bit of 'good for you' too.
I'm convinced the best kale in the world is here. It's a cold kale salad with a delicious somewhat spicy peanut sauce. East coast kale cooks take note- it would be worth driving to Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles to experience this salad. Make sure you call first. There's nothing worse than going there when they don't have kale.
PS- the term 'blanching' totally sucks. Probably because the first four letters are common in the word BLAND, too. Why don't they call it 'completely awesoming.'
Ok, I just tried it. Here's the recipe I used kinda-
1 bunch kale
3/4 cup water
2 heaping spoonfuls of peanut butter
2 teaspoons of chili sauce
2 dashes of ground ginger (would've preferred fresh, but didn't have any)
dash of salt
Blanch the kale in 2 qts hot water for 2.5 minutes (thanks Tanya for the time tip). While the kale is blanching, combine other ingredients in a bowl to create sauce. Drain kale and rinse with cold water. Put kale back in bowl and mix in sauce. 5 minutes and pure deliciousness
are you attempting to recreate the recipe from M Cafe? i ate the kale with spicy peanut sauce salad there a few weeks ago and I can't stop dreaming about it! I'm going to try one of these recipes immediately.
Hi. I was looking for this exact recipe. I go to the new one in Beverly Hills and eat this salad at least once a week. Now I want to make it for a party I'm going to on Sunday. How funny that I find you and you're talking about the same exact thing. Fabulous!! Thanks for posting it!!!
Hello fellow MCafe kale-lover! I'm trying to recreate that recipe as well, and look forward to experimenting with your tips. One thing I noticed you left out: thinly sliced red onion. It adds an extra dimension to this awesome cold kale salad. (I've also wondered if they blanch or steam their kale. Do you know for sure that it's blanched?) Heading to the market now, will post results! Thanks for the inspiration!
Yes! Totally forgot about it. Soooo good.
Here's an update: I've experimented with using a more traditional peanut sauce that looks something like this. This is my favorite way to eat kale, and as you know, kale is wicked good for you. I'm successfully growing a few kinds in my porch garden. Enjoy!
1 bunch kale
3/4 cup coconut milk
2 heaping spoonfuls of peanut butter
splash of Sriracha Hot Chile Sauce (also known as 'Rooster Sauce') to taste
Fair helping of fresh grated ginger
dash of salt
If the sauce turns out too thick it's easily water down-able.
Blanch the kale in 2 qts hot water for 2.5 minutes (thanks Tanya for the time tip). While the kale is blanching, combine other ingredients in a bowl to create sauce. Drain kale and rinse with cold water. Put kale back in bowl and mix in sauce. 5 minutes and pure deliciousness