Curried Collard Greens with Cannellini Beans

Curried collard greens is an easy to prepare weekday dinner. The main ingredient in this dish is the “Collard greens” - a kind of leafy vegetable that has large green leaves and tough stems, which are removed before eating. The leafy parts are the edible parts of “collard greens.” The sturdy leaves hold up well when cooked for long periods of time, so they’re commonly used in soups and stews. Collard greens are fibrous and have a tough texture when raw. The leaves have a bland taste and are somewhat bitter. When the leaves are cooked with other vegetables, they become soft and tasty to eat. My recipe for curried collard greens uses cannellini beans, curry powder,  Tofu (or Tempeh), Mushrooms, tomatoes, and a topping of fried eggs making it a complete and tasty dinner. You can add a side of bread or Naan. Cannellini beans are a popular white bean native to Southern Italy. They are large and oval in size with a nutty flavor and a creamy texture. Cannellini beans are also called white kidney beans. I have used canned beans to save time. You can also use dried beans but you need to soak them for at least 8 hours before boiling them. Do not over-boil the beans as they can break easily. You may use a pressure cooker or boil the beans in an open pan. The curry powder brings out the flavor of Indian spices and complements the collard greens, veggies, mushrooms, and tofu that provide the nutritional value - rich in fibers and proteins. NOTE : If you don't have curry powder, you may substitute it with Garam masala powder. My tip to substitute 2 Teaspoons of curry powder is to add 1 tsp of Garam Masala powder with 1 tsp each of cumin powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, and ½ Teaspoon turmeric powder.
Cooking Method
Cuisine ,
Courses , , ,
Difficulty Beginner
Time
Cook Time: 30 mins
Servings 4
Description

An easy weekday dinner that is healthy and tasty - made with fresh collard greens, beans, tofu, mushrooms and curry powder 

Ingredients
  • 6 cup Collard greens (Cleaned, chopped)
  • 2 can Cannellini beans
  • 8 oz Extra firm Tofu (Substitute - Tempeh)
  • 10 Button Mushrooms (Can be substituted with other varieties)
  • 2 Jalapenos (Deseeded)
  • 1 White Onion
  • 1 Tomato
  • 2 tbsp Tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp Cooking oil
  • 4 Eggs (For topping)
  • 1 tsp Ginger - grated
  • 1 tsp Garlic - chopped
  • 1/2 tsp Red chili powder / Crushed red pepper
  • 2 tsp Curry Powder
  • 1 tbsp Cilantro - chopped
  • 1 tsp Salt (adjust to taste)
Instructions
  1. Prepare the Collard greens
    • Wash collard greens to remove all sand and dirt
    • Dry the collard greens by wrapping the stalks in a cloth or paper towel
    • Chop the hard stalks from the bottom of each collard green leaf.  
    • Hold a few collard green leaves together and Chop them finely.
    • Keep the chopped collard greens aside
  2. Prepare other vegetables
    • Dice the onion
    • Deseed and dice the Jalapenos into fine pieces
    • Dice the tomatoes
    • Remove the stalks from mushrooms and wash the mushrooms in hot water.  Dice the mushrooms.
    • Remove the Cannellini beans from the can and wash them thoroughly
    • Clean and chop the cilantro
    • Grate the ginger and crush/chop the garlic.
  3. Fry the Tofu

    You can use either Tofu or tempeh. They both taste good.

    • If you are using Tempeh, cut the tempeh into small cubes and air-fry or shallow fry them on high heat with a little oil
    • If using Tofu, make sure that all water is drained after removing it from the pack.  Dry the Tofu using a paper or cloth towel. After all the water from Tofu is removed, dice the Tofu into 1 -1.5 cm pieces. Put some oil in a frying pan and shallow fry the Tofu pieces on high heat for about 15 minutes. Keep stirring every 2-3 minutes. Remove the tofu from heat when the pieces start to change the color into golden brown and also the outer layer turns crispy.
  4. Cooking the curried collard greens
    • Keep a medium-size frying pan on medium heat and add the cooking oil
    • When the oil becomes hot, add the chopped onions and jalapenos. 
    • Keep stirring for about 3-4 minutes until the onions start to change color
    • Now add the ginger and garlic. Stir for a couple of minutes. 
    • Now add the mushrooms. Stir for 2 minutes on high heat.
    • Now add tomato paste and mix it with all veggies
    • Add the tomatoes and keep stirring for a couple of minutes
    • Reduce the heat
    • Now add all the spices, Salt, Cannellini beans, and the fried tofu/tempeh
    • Stir well for 5 minutes to ensure that the spices have coated all the veggies and tofu/tempeh
    • Add the collard greens and cover the frying pan with a lid. The collard green should cook in the steam for about 7-8 minutes.
    • Remove the lid and stir well. Increase the heat to medium level. Keep stirring until the collard greens are thoroughly cooked. There is no need to add water as the collard greens release enough moisture during the cooking.
    • Remove from heat when the collard greens are well cooked
  5. Serving
    • Fry each egg separately. You can choose to have the fried eggs with runny yolk or as well done. Sprinkle a touch of salt and pepper as per your liking.
    • Divide the collard greens curry into 4 portions. 
    • Serve the collard greens with a topping of fried egg.
Notes

You can refrigerate the Curried collard greens dish in an air-tight container for up to a week. Just make sure to heat it and add the fried eggs before serving.

Keywords: curry, collard, greens, cannellini, beans, dinner, healthy,
Read it online: https://www.mellowmasala.com/recipe/curried-collard-greens-with-cannellini-beans/
Vinay Mummigatti

I love traveling, cooking, and reading. This blog is a reflection of my passion for cooking. Food is a representation of culture and I have tried to assimilate foods from different cultures across the world. I am an Indian by birth who moved to the USA 20 years back. I hope my recipes and articles bring new experiences and joy to the readers. Please share your comments and feedback.